Words of Love
by OnlyTheInevitable
Summary: The FBI handbook has rules against relationships between partners, so they would just have to get creative in showing their love to each other. A compilation of Mulder and Scully's love through romantic one-word prompts. MSR
1. Attraction

**Author's Note: Thanks for clicking on my story! I decided to do a collection of 26 one shots each based on a romance-related word going from A-Z. I'm sure it's been done before, one shot compilations are so popular and all, but I wanted to take a crack at it! Let me know if you like it!**

Attraction: (noun) the action or power of evoking interest, pleasure, or liking for someone or something.

There were many downfalls to having an office in the Hoover basement. Scully could deal with most of them; the lack of space, the horrible ventilation, the overall ridicule from other agents. The one thing she had a hard time getting over was the fact no one thought it would be a good idea to install a restroom on this floor.

It made having to use the restroom a ten minute ordeal, and, for a woman with such a small bladder, this was a major inconvenience. Not only that, but the reason she enjoyed the basement was that she didn't have to deal with her, not so tactful, fellow agents. She had it easier than Mulder, regardless of her nicknames, Scully was well-liked by many agents. However, some of these acquaintanceships made her peers feel like they could pry into her and Mulder's personal lives beyond what she was comfortable with.

She wasn't naive. She knew there were rumors that Mulder and her were romantically, _and sexually_ , involved. Just the fact that her nickname had evolved from "Ice Queen" to "Mrs. Spooky" was proof enough of the hypothesized coupling. Thinking about the possibility of A.D. Skinner, or any of the other agents she respected, contemplating such rumors made her cheeks flame up in mortification.

It's not that she hadn't thought about Mulder in that way. They had been partners for over four years and saved each other countless times. They really were like a married couple without any of the romance. Not to mention, he was extremely attractive. However, Mulder was a go-getter. When he wanted something, he was like a dog with a bone. Scully figured if he was interested in her, he would have said something beyond just a few flirtatious comments.

Letting out a sigh, Scully got off the elevator and made her way to her favorite women's room. It was in a narrow corridor that most people ignored. Opening the door, she reveled in having the whole restroom to herself. However, the happiness was short lived when, right after pulling down her underwear, she heard the door burst open and the walls reverberate with high-pitched laughter.

"There is no way! You probably just heard her yelling at him and twisted it into something juicer." Scully recognized the first voice as Skinner's old assistant Ashley. She was relocated after accidentally shredding important documents, _for the fifth time._

Rolling her eyes at what she knew was going to be frivolous gossip, Scully tried to go about her business, but she had always been a shy pee-er and knew nothing would come out until the girls were gone.

"No, trust me, it was something I had never heard before. Dana Scully was fucking _laughing_ ," Scully felt the instinctive twinge of embarrassment twisting in her gut and didn't need a mirror to know she was blushing. " I think Spooky told her a joke or something. I just heard a bunch of noise and her laughing, but he's cracking the Ice Queen." That sounded like the mail delivery girl, Dominique or something?

Scully knew exactly when she was talking about. This morning Mulder had spent near thirty minutes aligning those damn pencils on his desk, but when he went to fly them all up towards the ceiling, he sent them ricocheting all over the room instead, miraculously falling to the floor himself. The whole sight was so absurd, she couldn't hold back her laughter.

When the final girl contributed, Scully's jaw fell onto the ground. "Maybe he fucked her silly on that shared desk of theirs."

"Karen! Oh my god, you're so bad!" Scully mulled over the name for a second before realizing that Karen had the office adjacent to her own, official, office upstairs that she used more as a storage space. The same woman who complimented her every time she saw her. _Fuck you, Karen._

"What? Everyone knows. You can't have two attractive people work together 27/7 and not expect them to hookup. I mean have you seen them? It's like Aphrodite and Eros decided to work for the FBI," she joked, earning laughs from two-thirds of those listening.

"It's not fair. She doesn't even have to do anything and he'd follow her anywhere. I swear, Dana could sneeze and he'd claim it was a siren song."

"Do you see the way his eyes follow her every move? I think she's oblivious to it too, honestly. I mean we joke about it, but there is no way Dana would break the rules like that, even if she does have the hots for him," Scully didn't appreciate this conversation whatsoever, but she was grateful that at least Ashley was defending her, _kind of._

"I don't care if she used to wear a chastity belt and a habit, there is no way she could resist the way that man is all over her."

Scully decided she couldn't take this anymore and decided to embarrass the women like they were embarrassing her. Her bladder forgotten from the shock of the girls' discussion. She pressed the cool, backs of her hands against her cheeks, willing to even out the flush she knew was there before standing up, pulling her panties back into place, and walking out of the stall.

All previous chatter died on the women's lips as they gawked at Scully, waiting for her to ream them out. Instead, Scully enjoyed the fear palpitating off of the three women. Acting as if their words meant nothing to her, she rinsed her hands, dried them on a paper towel, and greeted them with a cool "ladies," before walking out of the restroom.

The whole trip back down to the office was just Scully replaying the women's words in her head. _Was Mulder really attracted to her? He didn't flirt with her more than any other woman. They sounded like I was missing the looks he gave me? His touches do affect me, but they made it sound like it wasn't noticeable, so at least there was that. But could Mulder really find her attractive?_

She was broken out of her internal battle when, after taking a few steps into their office, she ran right into the man in question.

"Woah there partner, you okay?" Mulder teased, grabbing her biceps to prevent her from falling over from the force of the collision.

She was still a little flustered from the restroom incident, so, with a dismissive laugh, she gently moved out of his grasp and took a seat in her chair. Taking her queue, he sat in his own chair across the desk from her, a little more concerned by her lack of response. "Did something happen? You were gone a long time."

She hated being out of the loop from matters regarding her own life, and figured he would feel the same and want to know. "When I was in the stall, some random women from the building came in and started gossiping," she offered with an embarrassed chuckle.

Mulder cocked an amused eyebrow, "Wow Scully, I never took you as a fan of office gossip. What was it this time? Skinner starting to consider Rogaine? Someone having an affair with a higher up?"

"It was about us." For some reason she was finding it a little hard to meet his eyes right now.

"Oh," his telltale insecurity cracking through his voice slightly, "Was it bad?"

She knew, regardless of his adamance otherwise, that the 'spooky' thing really bothered him. Especially when she was dragged into it. The first time he heard someone call her 'Mrs. Spooky', she noticed his knuckles turned white from clenching them into fists. She knew the only reason he didn't start anything was because he didn't want to embarrass her, but he apologized to her repeatedly for the rest of the day, though she insisted he didn't need to.

"No, no not really."

"What did they say?"

Scully let out a soft breath, cursing herself for even bringing it up. "You know. Just the normal." _Not really a lie._

"What's the normal?" She looked up to see if he was messing with her, but she was met with pure earnest. _Did he seriously not know?_

"Umm, well it seems that many individuals in the Hoover building like to speculate about our relationship." She hoped she was coming across as clinically detached, but she could hear her voice lilting a bit.

"What were the speculations of the women in the restroom?"

Deciding to end this game of cat and mouse, she decided to be blunt. "The mail girl heard me laugh this morning and apparently I'm a humorless bitch, so-"

"Scully, you are not a humorless bitch," he pressed, sincerity taking over the joking tone that had just been present. He hated when she spoke negatively of herself and would deconstruct any self deprecatory remark that left her mouth. One of the many things she loved about him.

Letting it slide, she continued, "Anyhow, one of them said that you were probably 'fucking me silly' on the desk," she thought it was important to add the air quotes to emphasize they were not her own words. From the look of pure shock on his face, it didn't alleviate the impact. Deciding to capitalize on this rare moment of Mulder being at a loss for words, she continued, "Then they just kept trying to rationalize that since you are so attractive and 'I'm so attractive', that a relationship was inevitable, and they just kept rattling off reasons we must be involved. It was just beyond ridiculous, so I went out of the stall to embarrass them and I left." She decided to omit the parts about his gazing and touching.

Meeting his eyes once again, she was met with _the look_ that the women must have been talking about. Even though Mulder's lips were twitched into a sly grin, behind the amusement dancing in his eyes, Scully could see the tell tale sign of arousal and intrigue.

There was a charged moment of silence before Mulder spoke up, "I don't know why you said that with air quotes."

"What?" Scully asked, not sure what he meant.

"You said I was attractive. No air quotes. You said you were attractive. Implementation of air quotes. I can assure you, if air quotes are going to be used to question if someone is attractive, they will never have to surround your name." Mulder leaned back in his chair, watching her work out his words. A Cheshire grin broke onto his face when he saw her try to hide her blush and embarrassed smile.

 _Mulder thinks I'm attractive._

 **Thank you so much for reading! If you have time, please leave a review! They honestly make my day. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see, let me know! I also have a couple other X-Files fanfics on my page if you want more! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	2. Breathtaking

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading my story! I appreciate your time so much :) Hope you enjoy!**

Breathtaking: (adjective) astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality, so as to take one's breath away.

Mulder hated these type of assignments. Being the X-Files were the most underappreciated unit at the FBI, anytime another unit needed extra set of hands, he and Scully were forced to help. This time, the violent crime unit needed two people to disguise themselves so they could surveil some gangbangers. It was a one-night assignment, and there were so many VCU officers around that there was relatively no danger.

Normally Mulder could grin and bear it, but tonight he was on edge. He had absolutely no doubt that it had to do with what their disguises were. No. Not _their_ disguises. He just had to wear shaggy clothes, sit on the ground, strum a guitar, and pretend to be a street performer. He was on edge about _Scully's_ disguise. It was someone's brilliant idea that Scully would have to go undercover as a goddamned prostitute. That's right. Dana Katherine Scully, the tiny catholic, was going to be dressed up like a streetwalker less than ten feet away from him.

He was furious for a multitude of reasons. First, that someone in the vice unit purposefully chose that detail for her, obviously with the intent of sexually objectifying her. Second, knowing that she was most likely embarrassed, and the entire damn unit was going to be ogling her. Third, the fact that they phrased it to her in a way that made it near impossible for her to reject the idea. _"Now, Agent Scully, we know this isn't something in your forte, and you probably are going to turn it down. We want you do go undercover as a sex worker. They are local in the area, and no one would bat an eye. It would give us a great vantage point for surveillance. We understand if you turn it down, it might be too hard for you. It will be difficult for us to find a replacement so last minute, but we can try."_ They hit all of Scully's buttons; questioning her abilities, making her sound unprofessional, and acting like she'd be a burden. Assholes gave her no room to say no.

Now Mulder was sitting on the street, strumming a guitar he didn't know how to play, anxiously looking around for her to appear. He felt guilty, but he wanted to see her dressed up. She would kill him if she knew, but the thought of her dressed like any of the women he could see right now set his mind ablaze.

Nevermind, not ablaze, as soon as he set eyes on her his mind stopped functioning.

She was wearing four inch, black, fuck-me pumps and a skin tight dress. It was low on her chest to reveal cleavage and it came down to about mid-thigh. The dress looked like it was made out of two pieces of rectangular spandex, one covering the front and the other covering the back. There were large stitches at the sides connecting the spandex while exposing a tantalizing strip of pale skin. It also revealed that she wasn't wearing a bra, and on her waist there was just a minuscule, tantalizing, red line of lace. _Fuck_.

He glanced up to her face and was embarrassed to see she was looking right at him, a knowing smirk dancing on her ruby lips. He knew she saw him gawking, but he was stunned at the exotic creature staring back at him. He knew it was Scully, but a version of Scully he had only ever seen in his fantasies. Her titan hair was mussed and her eyes were rimmed dark. She looked like a tigress and he thanked her god that he had a guitar in his lap to hide little-Mulder. _Not so little right now._

It took a few minutes for him to remember how to breathe, but, other than temporary oxygen deprivation, nothing eventful happened for about an hour. Their jobs were to just look around for anything suspicious and eavesdrop on conversations. _They didn't even have surveillance materials on them_. It felt like the VCU already knew what the gangbangers were going to do and they were just there as props. The only materials they had on them were inner ear microphones that allowed them to receive instructions.

"Hey, Red Hot! Wanna take a ride?" The only thing Mulder was learning, aside from how great Scully looked in spandex, was that subtlety was apparently an art form lost on man.

This was the fifteenth man she has had to reject, _in an hour._ Each time she leaned down to the car, he heard her give some lie about waiting for her pimp to come pick her up. He could say, without a doubt, he never thought he would hear those words come out of Scully's mouth, let alone in that tone of voice.

His train of thought came to a halt when an officer's voice rang in his ear, "Agents, Spider and Shank went into the building behind you about an hour ago. Can you guys go in an look around, discreetly? Agent Scully, if you could take the second floor and Agent Mulder, you take the first."

Turning around, Scully met his gaze and gave a slight affirmative nod. He stood up and opened the door for her, resting one hand on her bare shoulder as she tried to pass so he could whisper in her ear, "Do you need to borrow my weapon? It doesn't look like there's room to hide one in that outfit and, while I know you can handle yourself, I just don't want you to go in at a disadvantage." He didn't like the thought of not having her back. She was strong, but this was also a seedy part of town where interest in her was, clearly, very high.

"I got it covered," she replied, tapping the purse he hadn't even noticed, "But thank you," she added.

He watched her cautiously ascend the stairs and, as soon as the last sliver of her form disappeared, he started to wander the first floor. From the looks of it, it was just comprised of a long hallway bordered with locked rooms. He spent a few moments outside of each room trying to hear anything suspicious.

When he was nearing the halfway point, he heard a scuffle upstairs accompanied by men shouting. _Scully._ Without thinking, he bolted towards the stairs she went up, running up them at an inhuman speed. He knew the officers were speaking in his ear, but he couldn't hear over the sound of his own heartbeat. The only words he recognized were "we will apprehend outside" but his main concern was making sure Scully was okay. When he reached the top, he was met with a hallway identical to the one he was just in. He saw Scully lightly jogging towards him and met her in the middle.

"Are you alright? What's going on?" He didn't get an answer, but what he did get shocked the hell out of him. Scully shoved him against the wall, pinning him with her tiny body, and started messing up his hair and her own.

The only warning he got was a quick, "Please trust me," before pressing her mouth onto his in a feral kiss. Initially stunned into stillness, it wasn't until she hitched her thigh onto his hip and placed his hands on her waist, that he started to reciprocate.

In the back of his mind, he heard a door a the end of the hallway slam open when her lips met his, followed by some more shouting. Then the puzzle pieces started to fit in his mind. The gang members must have gotten into a fight in the bugged room, VCU is waiting at the doors to apprehend, Scully knew there was not enough time for them to get out and, instead of looking like they were eavesdropping, they were posing as a woman of the night and her john in the heat of passion. _Thank you._

Scully allowed him to get a visual by releasing her lips, which he noticed had a string of saliva still connecting hers to his own, and started sucking on his neck. He moved one hand to her raised leg, and the other to the base of her spine as he glanced down the hallway. He saw one of the men making his way down the hall in, what appeared to be, a slightly blood stained shirt. He quickly decided it would be best if the perp didn't think he saw anything, so he raised Scully's head and crushed his lips back onto hers.

He knew they were both hyper-aware of the man passing them in the hallway, but, with the way her velvety tongue was dueling his, he knew they were both enjoying the hell out of this kiss.

He didn't know if it was a Scully-impulse, or if she was trying to make as much space between her and the man, but she pressed her small body into his own as hard as she could. It took every fiber of his being not to cry out. He felt her slightly tense in his arms when the man finally did fully pass, but luckily, he did nothing except mutter a fast "damn bro" before making his way down the stairs.

When they heard "FBI, freeze!" followed by feet bounding up the stairs, they finally broke apart. When he looked down at her flushed face, lipstick smeared across her swollen lips, he felt absolutely breathless. Then again, that could have been from their minute long non-stop kiss, but he was captivated by the sight of her flustered form gasping for air, her breasts nearly spilling out of her dress with every inhalation.

"Sorry. I heard the stabbing and thought he wouldn't appreciate two random people loitering outside the room. I figured if he thought we were, uh, distracted, that he wouldn't give it a second thought," she rambled breathlessly, clearly embarrassed.

He knew he had a goofy grin on his face, but he couldn't help it. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Feel free to implement your quick thinking on me anytime."

They smiled at each other for a moment before a member of the VCU complimented Mulder on his lipstick.

 **I hope that seemed plausible. I just love a good undercover story! I'm a slut for reviews, what can I say, they make my day! Also, if you can think of any tips to make the summary of this story better, I'm all ears! I know it kind of sucks right now, lol. Hope you enjoyed! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	3. Couple

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has left feedback! I appreciate it tremendously. Hope you enjoy!**

Couple: (noun) two individuals of the same sort considered together.

If Scully had a dollar for every time someone referred to her as Mulder's date, girlfriend, wife, or even _lover_ , she could become the youngest person to ever retire from the FBI. It seemed to be a running gag that had followed them throughout their entire partnership. Even in the early days before they became friends, before they were even comfortable around each other, they had to dismiss people's presumptions.

For the first year, without a doubt, it pissed her off. As soon as a cutesy comment came out of anyone's mouth, she would shut it down with a curt, "Special Agent Scully, his _partner_." She worked hard to present herself in a professional and dignified manner. These suits sure as hell weren't comfortable, but they were the armor required by females in a male dominated field in order to be taken seriously. Comparatively, she looked just as official as Mulder, but yet as soon as they were side by side, he was the one that would get addressed and she was treated as his feminine accessory. She found it implicitly sexist and it grated on her nerves. The amused grin that would grace his lips only added fuel to the fire.

It wasn't until she voiced her irritation to her mother that her perception changed.

"Dana, honey, I don't think it has to do with the world being misogynistic. Think about it this way. Does that mistake happen with other men? Like when you used to go on dates or hung out with your male med school friends?"

Scully was a little taken aback, "N-no, no one mistook me as romantically involved with them." _Ironically._

"Did you ever consider it has to do with the way you and Fox interact with each other?" She could hear her mother's teasing smile through the phone.

"We act completely professional and nothing more," the words sounded a bit forced, even to her and she knew her mother would see right through them.

What she didn't expect was for her mother to laugh. Excessively so. Scully sat with irritated patience for an actual response, "Dana, the touching, the gazing, the way you both speak to each other, even I've considered the possibility of you two being a secret couple."

Her words stuck with Scully, she spent days mulling over what her mother meant. It was the next time they were mistaken as a couple that she really looked at the situation objectively.

It was a case in the middle of nowhere Iowa. They had just gotten to a scene and started discussing the case when the local Sheriff interrupted them. "Are you the Agent Mulder I contacted? Nice to meet you, I didn't know you were bringing the missus," he greeted with a friendly smile. Her mother's words rang in her ears and she evaluated the vibe they were giving off in that moment.

They had only been on the scene for two minutes before the word "Bigfoot" left Mulder's mouth. Not wanting the other investigators to hear and start dismissing him, Scully took him by the arm, dragged him a few steps away from everyone else, and started rationalizing with him. When the Sheriff was approaching them, Scully's hand was still gently gripping Mulder's forearm and he was slightly hunched over so they could speak face-to-face in private, hushed tones. When the Sheriff started speaking, Scully's hand left his arm, only for Mulder to put his own on the small of her back. She had to admit, to an outsider the scene could easily been taken as intimate.

She was so lost in her realization, that she had forgotten to dish out her usual snappy correction. Mulder looked a bit surprised, and almost flustered, that he had to make the correction for once, "N-no, this is my partner. Special Agent Dana Scully, Medical Doctor." He smiled and shook the apologetic man's hand as Scully smiled.

 _He used her entire title_. She had never expressed to him that she found the dismissal of her qualifications to be demeaning. Yet, from the way he emphasized her credentials, he was on the same page and wanted her to be recognized and respected. She noticed Mulder caught her smiling from the amused eyebrow that cocked up in response. She was a little more forgiving with the people who made the mistake after that.

The turning point she had a harder time pinpointing was when she started enjoying the mistakes. _Crush_ sounded juvenile. She would never say that she had a crush on Mulder. She did, however, find him extremely attractive. She also enjoyed his company and the opportunities she had to hang out with him. She knew nothing would ever come to fruition, so she reveled in the few moments of time between being mistaken as a couple and the inevitable correction. Because for those few precious seconds, in someone's world, they were together. _Fuck, okay fine, I have a crush on Mulder._

She had no doubts that he had always enjoyed people calling her his wife or girlfriend or any of the other endearments. From the first time it happened he would fail at suppressing his amusement. For a while, it added to her irritation because she assumed he found the idea of being tied to her so damn hilarious, he couldn't help but smile. When he started correcting people was when she noticed, what sounded almost like, disappointment lacing his voice.

She had to say though, without a doubt, this was the first time he ever _went with it._

They had just finished a case in Texas and were celebrating at the only diner in town. On their way there, she casually mentioned she she hoped they had pie, not giving it a passing thought. When they got there and were seated, he excitedly pointed to a flyer promoting, "Free Pie for First Dates" with an exuberant grin.

Not understanding why he was so excited, she reminded him, "Mulder, this isn't our first date." She felt herself blush, hoping he didn't think she was implying she considered all their dinners to be dates.

Of course she wouldn't be that lucky, his grin widened at her words and he waggled his eyebrows, "They don't have to know that."

Before she had a chance to respond, the waitress came. "Hey y'all, how's your night goin'?"

With a charm he had never, so wholeheartedly, directed towards her before, he reached across the table and held her hand. Sending a beaming smile to the waitress, he answered, "Fantastic, I just got to spend the whole evening with this lovely lady after years of trying to convince her to go out with me." She knew immediately this was a ploy for pie, but damn if he wasn't convincing. Her look of surprise elicited a smugness to join his smile. Deciding she didn't want to let him have all the fun, she joined in.

Meeting his gaze with coy smile and batting her lashes, she added, "What can I say? He's a very charming man when he wants to be." She had to suppress laughter at the look on Mulder's face.

While she was rubbing small circles with her thumb on Mulder's hand, the waitress exclaimed, "Oh my! Is this y'all's first date?"

Mulder beat her to answering, "First, but definitely not last." To punctuate his sentence, he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss. She felt her heartbeat accelerate and she wondered how much of this was play and how much of this was them diving into dangerous territory.

"Well bless your hearts! You two make a perfect pair, absolutely stunning," her comments made both partners chuckle a little bit to mask their embarrassment at her words. "Your night just got luckier because we have a 'First Date, Free Pie' deal going on!"

Mulder gasped in mock surprise, "Babe, did you hear that? We're so lucky!" _Damn he was good._

She knew it was juvenile, but she wanted to shock him as much as he shocked her with this charade, so she decided to push the boundaries a bit. Dropping her voice down to a seductive tone she hadn't used in years, she teased, "This won't be the only time you get lucky tonight, _sweetheart_." She mentally patted herself on the back when his face turned red and he couldn't hide the shy smile that was about to crack his face.

"Well aren't you two the cutest! Just let me know your orders and what type of pie you want and I'll tell the cooks."

After telling the waitress what they wanted, they separated hands to give the woman their menus. When she left, the jovial sexual tension still hung in the air.

"Well Mulder, I'm impressed. I didn't know you'd be so dedicated to helping me get dessert."

Grinning at her attempt at levity, he added, "Not just any dessert, my dear Scully, but _free_ dessert. Also, not just a single slice, but an entire pie. I say we make a pretty convincing pair."

The remainder of the evening was spent in their normal, comfortable companionship, but the few moments they got to flirt would stay with the partners for a long time after. And it was some damn good pie.

 **Hope you liked it! Please feel free to drop a review, they make my day! Also, feel free to add me on Tumblr to get X-Files and Gillian Anderson spam! I'm gaycrouton. I have two other X-Files fics on my page you can check out too! Thank you -Nicole**


	4. Devotion

**Author's Note: I am so appreciative to all who took the time to leave a review! You are so sweet. "D" was kind of hard because there are so many beautiful, romantic words beginning with that letter. This is what I decided to go with. Hope you enjoy!**

Devotion: (noun) love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.

Mulder never hid from the facts, even if they framed him in a less than favorable light. He was well-aware of the fact he was a man driven by obsession. For as long as he could remember, he could never just _casually_ like something; he would become wholeheartedly devoted _._

In the years prior to Samantha's abduction, he spent his days in fanboy splendor. Each week when a new _Star Trek_ episode came on, he would sit in front of the screen, absolutely enamored with the lavish fantasies of galaxies undiscovered. He would methodically spend the days between episodes rewriting the one he just saw. Exploring everything from the dynamics of the crew to the cultures of the creatures. He could still remember the Spock costume he spent hours creating, wearing it beyond what was deemed appropriate.

He was able to multitask though, just as many hours spent in the fantasy world, he spent an equal amount grossing over the recent baseball scores. From the major league to the local junior league, he was absolutely captivated with the performances and would spend hours recreating the games in his mind, only using the score sheet as a guide.

However, after Samantha's abduction, his obsession moved onto finding her, and finding out what happened, almost exclusively. He knew it wasn't healthy, but it was all he could focus on. Well, it was all he _used_ to be able to focus on. It was an irony he was having a hard time grasping. His most recent point of focus, constantly at the forefront of his mind, was the one thing helping him to become less obsessive and compulsive. He was finally able to look at the world through more than a cryptic lens. _Is this a new obsession, or is this what love is?_ Regardless, all he knew was that he was hopelessly devoted to Dana Katherine Scully.

The petite powerhouse came into his life six years ago and he has never been the same. Whenever he thought about the man he was before meeting her, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself. He wouldn't take back a moment he spent searching for Samantha, regardless of how much he had lost, because inevitably it was what led him to Scully, but his life had been so monotonous. He had been living solely for the purpose of chasing, what he now felt to be, a ghost.

He didn't know when his life's purpose switched from sulking in the past into investing in the future, but he knew Scully was at the heart of the change. He thinks it was when he first saw her cry after he pulled the trigger during the Modell incident. It dawned on him that, for what seemed like the first time, someone would truly be upset if he died. He didn't mean to sound morose. He knew the Lone Gunmen and maybe even Skinner would be sad, but Scully's life would change. She would be devastated. Since then, when he wakes up in the morning, he wants to be a better man for her. _God, that sounds so cheesy._

He would do absolutely anything for her; which is probably why he was carrying a completely inebriated Scully to her apartment right now.

Scully asking him for a favor was rare. In fact, aside from this singular instance, he didn't know if it had ever happened before. When she initially asked him, he couldn't hide his amusement at how flustered she was about it. Her friend was getting married, and she needed a date.

"Are you asking me to go with you?" Her gaze in response to him screamed ' _tease me and you die.'_

"If you aren't busy, I would really appreciate you accompanying me." She was trying to hide the fact she was asking him on a date under a veil of professionalism. The only signal she was nervous was the blush she couldn't shake off her cheeks.

Deciding not to make her recant her request by teasing too much, he readily agreed, "I'd love too." She gave him a 100 watt Scully-smile and he felt his heart hammer in his chest.

She gave Mulder the time and instructions and he spent the rest of the week fantasizing about their impending _date._ He knew it was a date in the platonic sense of the word, but it didn't stop the pride that welled up in his chest every time he remembered she chose _him._ Scully was a very beautiful woman. He had been present to witness men flirting with her more times than we was comfortable with. He knew it would be so easy for her to ask anyone she wanted, but she wanted to spend the occasion with him.

For the first time in longer than he could remember, he fussed over his appearance. He wanted to make the most of this occasion, and he didn't want her to regret asking him. Mulder didn't think he was ugly by any means, he knew he was at least average and his suits were always nice and presentable, but now knowing he was about to pick up Scully, he could only focus on the crease that wouldn't even out on his shirt and the pronounced nose that had been a grievance to him since puberty. He sighed, figuring this was the best it was going to get, and left to go pick up Scully.

When she opened the door, he was positive this had to be an elaborate plan to get him into an early grave. Mulder was not well versed in the terminologies of women's fashion. She was wearing, what he could best explain to be, a very sexy sundress. It was a dark emerald, beautifully contrasting her hair while simultaneously highlighting her eyes. The dress plunged down her breastbone and it was near backless. The simple straps over her shoulders became an elaborate criss-cross pattern on her back, going so far down it revealed her tattoo.

Her hair was in a similar style to what she wore to work, the only difference being that she allowed her natural curls to be present instead of straightening them out. She was absolutely radiant and it made Mulder want to cry.

They spent the ceremony in comfortable companionship. Though with the added benefit of her occasional touches and hushed whispers. He was glad to know that she knew just about as many people here as he did. It was a dear friend's wedding, but a dear friend she hadn't seen in over a decade. So she used him to pass the time in between events. Asking him different odds and ends questions as he returned the same to her. He realized it was humorous halfway through; they could describe how each other's moods would shift after x-amount of time in a car, how much energy one cup of coffee could provide the other, provide a detailed list of each other's medical histories, but they didn't know any of the basics.

While they were sitting in the pews, waiting for the bride and company to get to the chapel and for the wedding march to organize, they took turns asking each other things they didn't know. Mulder reveled every minute of it, cherishing the new facts he learned like he cherished those baseball scores all those years ago.

Her favorite season was autumn because she loves watching the trees change colors and hearing the leaves crunch beneath her feet. She has an eclectic taste in music, but if she had to choose, her favorites would be Tori Amos and Radiohead. When she was young, she had an irrational fear of clowns. One of his favorite new tidbits of information was that when she was fifteen, Scully let a friend pierce her belly button. She was able to hide it for a year, but when her dad found out, he made her take it out. She's always wanted to get it redone. Mulder couldn't shake his amusement at the thought of a rebellious, teenage Scully.

He listened to her words in complete rapture as if she was reciting scripture. Each new anecdote helped him understand his enigma of a partner. He offered answers to her questions too, not wanting to be unfair, and he was flattered to see her equally as interested. It was during the reception when she took him by surprise.

He wouldn't say Scully never drank, he definitely had seen her indulge in a glass of wine or two in the past, but never had he seen her drink to the point of slurring and stumbling. Retrospectively, it was kind of his fault. She had teased him that she could drink him under the table any day. He insisted that, even though he never drank, his body mass compared to her petite frame would make it easy for him to beat her in a drinking contest. As she sat the first pair of shots down in front of them, she reminded him she was Irish, and the rest was history.

He had to admit, the woman could drink. Every time he flicked his head back and let the amber liquid poor down his throat, it took every fiber of his pride to keep from visually wincing. She, on the other hand, took each shot like a champ, displaying no discomfort whatsoever. Initially the only sign she actually took the shot was the flush that spread across her chest.

After the sixth shot he was feeling pretty buzzed, when he turned to tell her so, he saw she was resting her head on a bended arm, giving him a lazy smile.

"I think I'm ready to concede Scully, I don't want to let myself get too forgone."

"I toldja I'd w-win," she gloated, adorable hiccups breaking apart her slurs.

Mulder felt a grin spread across his face when he realized his normally-reserved Scully was absolutely drunk.

"I may have conceded, but if we evaluate who the drunker is here, I believe that would be you my dear," he mused, earning him a girlish giggle.

"Whatever you s-say Muldy." She raise herself from her slouch and moved to rest a hand on top of one of his own. "Muldy, will you dan-ce with me. Just this once? Pleeeassee," she drew out the last word and jutted her bottom lip out in a pout.

He laughed at his new nickname and couldn't say no to that face. He grasped the hand that had been clutching onto his and prompted her to stand with him. As soon as she stood up, he was supporting most of her weight. Her head rested on his chest and she swayed on unsteady feet.

"I'm not sure if dancing is in your ability range at the moment," he laughed, relishing in the normally forbidden contact.

"That's-s okay. We can jus' rhythmically hug. I like this," she disentangled her hand from his and hugged him around the middle, grinning into his torso.

"Rhythmically hug?" He laughed, but didn't put up any resistance. He crossed his arms on her shoulder blades and rested his cheek on the crown of her head. He was enjoying the swaying even though he wasn't sure whether it was the 'rhythmic' part or the hug or if it was just impossible for her to stay still.

They stayed like that for a while until he felt her drooping more and more in his grasp. Taking a glance down to look at her face, he noticed she was starting to fall asleep.

"Scully?" He nudged.

"Hmmm?"

"Let's go outside, I'll get us a cab so I can take you home."

"Okie dokie Muldy."

Now, here he was carrying a very inebriated Scully, bridal style, up to her apartment. She was out like a light as soon as they got into the cab, and it took some skill and balance to get her out without waking her up. Mulder had to admit, of all the times he's imagined a scenario like this, she wasn't a limp sack of potatoes in his arms. _And I wasn't taking her to bed for sleep._

It took a bit longer than usual, but he was able to unlock the apartment door, pull back the covers, remove her heels, and tuck her into bed. He didn't know if she'd be mad that she slept in her dress, but he wasn't going to violate her privacy by changing her.

"Goodnight, Scully," he whispered after pressing his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

As he turned to leave, he felt a small hand reach out and grab onto his fingers. Turning around he met her gaze through sleep-hung lids.

"I love you," she sighed with a smile.

His heart jumped to his throat and he brushed some stray hair behind her ear. "I love you too Scully, and I always will."

He left the room with a final smile that took hours to leave his face.

He couldn't help it. When it can to Scully, he would be eternally devoted.

 **I hope you enjoyed, that one felt a little cheesy to me, lol so I hope it wasn't too bad. Also, there probably will be one shots involving alcohol in the future, I always love a good drunk fic. Drop a review if you liked it and add me on Tumblr (gaycrouton). Hope episode two is good tonight! -Nicole**


	5. Endearing

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay, I went to a Lana Del Rey concert and my 21st was on the twelfth, but now I'm back! Thank you so, so much for the feedback, it keeps me going!**

Endearing: (adjective) inspiring love or affection.

Running in heels was a skill that took Scully years to cultivate. During her rebellious teen years, she used to wear chunky high heels out with her friends in an attempt to be stylish and, even though it took some time, she went from looking like a baby fawn to being able to strut with confidence. Over the years, the heels she wore had gotten lower, but now instead of meandering about town at a normal pace, she found herself constantly chasing whatever killer or monster Mulder had them investigating any given week.

Many people had commended her skill and agility, even Mulder had commented he was impressed that she could out run him in heels any day. This is probably why she couldn't shake her absolute mortification when she completely wiped out in front of twenty plus officers, including a very concerned Mulder.

They had been investigating a case in the middle of Montana. A girl had been abducted from her home in the middle of the night, and it bared an eerie similarity to a multitude of other X-Files. After days of dead-ends, the Montana P.D. got a tip that the girl was in the woods, so they sent an entire squad to comb the area.

An hour into searching, there was a blood curdling scream, and it all went downhill for Scully after that. Turning to the sound, all the officers took off running, herself included. To be honest, the logistics of how it happened were a little fuzzy to her. All she knew was that one minute she was running, only a few meters behind Mulder at the very back of the group, when she felt her left foot catch on something. She tried to lift it while running, but the foot didn't come off the ground, sending her crashing into the dirt in a matter of seconds. Her foot hadn't moved from where it was caught, so as her body hit the ground, she heard a sickening _pop._

To add insult to injury, she was so shocked by falling that she hadn't even put out her hands to protect herself, resulting in her slamming her head against a nearby log. Immediately, she felt pain brutally pulsating in her ankle and her head. Since she had been behind everyone else, and since she hadn't yelled out, no one saw her fall, _Thank god,_ so that meant she had a moment to try to regain composure.

With a groan she lifted a hand up to her head and pulled it back only to be met with blood. _Fantastic._ She tried to sit up, but was met with an immediate wave of dizziness. She tried to move her legs, but her ankle sent a sharp shooting pain up her body. Resigning to her fate, she laid in the dirt and waited for someone to notice. After a minute or two, she heard footsteps coming back, followed by scattered voices, one standing out in particular as it shouted her name.

"Oh my god, Scully!" Within a second, her view of the sky was taken over by the face of a very concerned, and very confused, Mulder. "What happened?"

"My foot got caught on something and I hit my head." Her eyes fluttered shut as his hands examined her head, "What was the scream?"

The question seemed to drag him, only slightly, out of his intense focus on her. "Oh, uh, apparently the girl was never abducted. She and her secret boyfriend were running away. She screamed because she saw a spider in the woods. This was just a waste of our time."

"Fantastic," she muttered. She was a little overwhelmed from all the attention, so she waved Mulder's hands away and sat up gently.

"Can you stand?" She tried to roll her weight from her butt onto her ankles, but involuntarily cried out when her ankle collapsed under the pressure. Mulder immediately put his hands on her biceps to keep her from falling onto her back.

She was already embarrassed from falling in the first place, but then she looked around and saw all the members of the search team that weren't dealing with the girl were currently watching her struggle. She felt her cheeks flame up in mortification. She grabbed onto Mulder's sleeve and tugged him closer so she could whisper in his ear, "I want to get out of here."

Looking around, he must've realized her embarrassment and immediately moved to help. Placing one arm around her side, he helped her stand up on her good foot, using his body to support her other side.

She gasped at the discomfort and he leaned to meet her ear, "Do you want me to carry you?"

As much better as that sounded in the moment, Scully's pride was too high and she didn't want all of these people to see her carried away by her partner like a damsel in distress. Shaking her head, she braced her hand on his chest and started limping in the direction of the car.

They were successful for maybe five feet before her other foot caught on something and she went flying to the ground. Before she could hit, Mulder grabbed her around the waist and steadied her back up right. She felt tears of frustration and embarrassment sting her eyes. Deciding to get this over with as quickly as possible, she turned to Mulder and whispered, "Fine."

Nodding with understanding, he gently snaked one hand under her knees while the other hand was braced on her back, carrying her bridal style against his chest.

She was mad at herself for getting hurt, and equally mad for how irrationally emotional she was getting in front of all these people. She just wanted to ignore the world, so allowing herself this one indulgence, she looped her arms around Mulder's head, buried her face into the crook of his neck, and let the tears of frustration wet his skin. He didn't tease her once.

When they got to the car, he opened the door with surprising agility, and set her into the passenger seat with unprecedented care. He leaned took the seat belt and fastened her in, the strong scent of _Mulderness_ filling her senses from his body pressing onto her own. Her eyes were fastened onto her lap through the entire process, only noticing in her peripherals that he was now kneeling next to the open door.

"Scully?" He gently prompted. He remained next to her until she finally met his gaze. She wasn't crying anymore, but she knew her face was red and puffy. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" He looked pleased when she nodded and started their journey to the hospital.

Her diagnosis was a severe ankle sprain and a concussion, _along with a bruised ego_. Mulder listened to the doctor's words with religious reverence and promised to look after her to save her from having to spend a night in the hospital. She knew herself that even though the ankle was "severe", that since it was only a sprain, she would be able to limp on it with ease in about 24 hours. Instead of going through the hassle of renting crutches, Mulder promised he would just help her. She would deny it to the day she died, and in some respects she was still embarrassed, but part of her relished the closeness to Mulder she rarely got to enjoy.

When they parked in front of their motel room, he got out, ran to open the door, then came back to get her. When he bent down, she saw him poorly suppress a smile when she reached out for him. She knew she never let him dote on her like this, so he was really enjoying her complicity right now.

Most of the time when other people took care of her, for no good reason, she just felt belittled. Most people had a tendency to make her feel like a chore or an inconvenience. But never Mulder. She watched him carefully close the motel door behind him and move to set her down on the bed as gently as possible. Mulder seemed to regard the task of taking care of her as the most important job he had ever been given. When he moved to take off her shoes, his brow was furrowed in intense concentration, and his lip was burrowed between nervous teeth. When he was done with one thing, he was quickly moving onto the next in a mission to make her as comfortable as possible. It was painfully endearing and it made her heart swell in her chest.

They had never said they loved each other. They had never kissed. They had never made love. But in moments like these, where he touched her with such care and watched her with such an intensity, she felt his love radiating on her like the sun.

"What're you smiling at?" He asked with an amused grin.

She didn't know if it was the pain medicine they gave her, or emotional exhaustion, but words of unabashed honesty fell out of her mouth, "You are so good to me, Mulder. Thank you so much."

She could count on one hand how many times she had seen Mulder get shy, and she was proud of herself for adding to the tally. Obviously shocked at her words, he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, averting his gaze with a beaming, boyish smile she had never seen before. He replied so softly, that she questioned if she even heard it in the first place, "Well, of course Scully. You deserve the world."

Scully felt her heart leap at his words. _I love him so much._

 **Hope you enjoyed! I'm a sucker for injury fics, so you might see a recovery one shot later down the line. Please drop a review if you enjoyed! I adore you all so much for taking the time to read! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	6. Femininity

**Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me this far! This may not necessarily be a "romantic word", but this is a theme I've always wanted to try writing. Hope you enjoy!**

Femininity: (noun) the quality or nature of the female sex

There was not a day that went by in their partnership where Mulder did not recognize Scully wholeheartedly as his equal. Unlike his colleagues at the Bureau, this was not a conscious choice that took effort. She was a woman, and she was by far the best agent he had ever worked with, bar none. Even though it was the nineties, it seemed many men they came in contact with were still a bit archaic in their thinking.

He was aware that every comment aimed at her that pissed him off was only a glimpse at what she must deal with on a daily basis, and it infuriated him. Whether it be a male agent's appreciative glance that lasted too long or someone on a crime scene refusing to address her, he felt his blood boil. There was no reason that her womanhood made her any less capable as an agent than his manhood did.

He had to be honest, even though he found her outrageously attractive, he was so worried about making sure to conceal his admiration so that she didn't lump him in with the misogynistic pigs around the office, that he sometimes ignored the importance of regarding her as a woman.

In his mind, she was the definition of femininity. She was stunningly beautiful, ferociously witty, unwaveringly intelligent, and, most importantly, incredibly independent and strong. He loved her with every fiber of his being.

Back in the day he used to hide his appreciation of her behind a guise of humor, " _I think it's remotely possible that someone might think you're hot."_ Only within the past few years, now that he felt comfortable in her trust in him, that he felt okay with openly flirting with her.

Though, it wasn't until recently that he realized the importance of recognizing her, not only as a partner, but as a female, and that recognition came in the most usual of circumstances.

It was on a normal Thursday that had consisted of nothing but paperwork. They had sat in their respective areas, typing in companionable silence for essentially the entire work day. It was nearing five, and for the past half-hour, Scully had started shifting uncomfortably in her seat, a noticeable grimace on her face. He didn't fully understand why, but she took off her short jacket and draped it on the seat underneath her. When he had asked her what was wrong, she insisted she was fine and he took her for her word. It was only when he announced their shifts were over, but she made no attempt to move, that he realized something might be wrong.

"Scully, are you sure you're okay?" he asked from over his desk.

She looked like she was contemplating something before meeting his gaze, he noticed a slight blush had spread on her cheeks. His worry and confusion were increased by what left her mouth. "Mulder, you know I trust you right?"

"Yeah, Scully you're scaring me. Is something wrong?"

She nodded her head vigorously to assuage his worries. "N-no, I'm fine. I just-," she paused before muttering quietly under her breath, "This is so embarrassing."

Now that he knew she was okay, his curiosity was piqued. _Embarrassing?_ "Scully, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't tease you if it will make you feel better."

She regarded him for a moment before continuing. "Okay. I might need your help, but I need you to be mature about this."

He simply nodded, having no idea where this could be going. Scully let out a long sigh before standing up and smoothing out her ivory-white skirt. "I'm pretty sure I got my period, and I need you to tell me if I bled through my skirt," she mumbled it so fast, he wasn't sure if he heard her right. When she turned around, he had no doubts that was what she asked.

On most occasions, he definitely would have teased her about asking him to check her out. But right now all he could focus on was the blood-red stain blossoming out around the middle of her skirt. It was significantly large, and now the seat-shifting and grimacing made sense. _She must've laid her jacket down so she didn't bleed on the fabric of the chair._

"I'm sorry, Scully. You definitely did. Do you need to sit down? Are you sure you're okay? That means you bled through your underwear, your tights, and your skirt. That just seems like so much blood, is that normal?" He knew he was rambling, and even though he knew what it was, he would never be comfortable with seeing blood on her. He stood up and made his way to stand closer to her.

He was glad to see, even though she was still embarrassed, she was clearly amused by him. When she answered, she couldn't keep the coy smile off her face. "Yes, Mulder. I promise this is normal. I was just so engrossed in typing up the reports that I didn't notice until… it became obvious to me," she broke off not wanting to get to graphic.

"Were you just sitting in pain? Why didn't you say anything?" He was worried she had been afraid he would judge her and had been waiting for him to leave before dealing with it.

"I figured I'd just wait until we left for the day, but I don't know how to leave right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want anyone upstairs to see this Mulder!" she exclaimed. "I'm already made fun of enough for being a 'bitch.' If they saw this, it would be five steps back for women in the office. Anytime a woman is assertive, the guys will make 'on the rag' jokes."

Mulder appreciated her honesty, and his heart broke for her. This was a circumstance that he had never even imagined and would never have to go through himself. He was kind of at a loss for what to do. "Scully, I don't think anyone thinks you're a bitch." She shot him an amused, knowing glance and he couldn't help but smile back. "Okay, well _I_ know you're not a bitch."

"Thank you, Mulder," she laughed, appreciating the fact he was lightning the mood for her.

A light bulb went off and he was pleased with his idea. "Scully, why don't you wear my jacket? That would probably go low enough to cover your predicament."

She looked like she was considering his offer before a small frown graced her face. "I appreciate your offer, but I think being seen in your jacket would cause just as many rumors as someone seeing the stain."

He realized her point immediately. They had just been called into Skinner's office last month after some rumors upstairs got a little too out of hand. Unbeknownst to them, apparently they were having an illicit affair and had been 'seen' at nearly twenty different romantic hot-spots around D.C. by various members of the secretary pool. Skinner had confronted them, much to their embarrassment, and they had to dissuade the rumors and reassure him that their relationship was nothing beyond platonic. _Much to Mulder's despair._ He wished the rumors were true, but he would never risk what they had by making a move.

"Do you have your coat or maybe a change of clothes in your car? I could run and go get them for you?" he offered.

"I really appreciate that, but I'm afraid I don't have anything." She paused a minute before sighing again. "Do you think you could do me a favor? Could you just walk behind me and hide the stain with your body?" She wasn't making eye contact anymore and he knew this was taking a lot for her to ask.

"Of course, Scully. Absolutely anything you need. I'll drape my jacket around my arm to help look inconspicuous." That earned him a hearty smile of appreciation and she gathered her stuff up, including her lightly bloodstained top she had been sitting on, shoving everything in her purse before they started to the door.

The trek to the parking garage wasn't too far, but it probably felt like miles to her. When she opened up their office door, she poked her head around to make sure the coast was clear. It was a quarter after five, and most agents liked to leave as soon as possible. She nodded at him that they were good to go, and he followed her after locking the door behind them.

They walked in tandem to the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Why they couldn't have an elevator leading from the basement to the parking garage was lost on him, and was currently the source of a lot of stress for Scully. Those few hallways distancing one elevator from the other was going to be the stretch with the most people.

She sighed as the elevator doors opened and she made swift strides to get out. Mulder didn't know if it would be better for him to stand directly behind her like she asked, or go the less creepy route and place his hand on the small of her back, allowing his jacket to drape down and hide her. Thinking the latter would be less suspicious, he gently placed a hand on where he knew her tattoo was and walked down the hall with her.

He knew some of the secretaries were turning and staring, but honestly, it's not like the rumors would be any different than what they already were. He could feel Scully slightly tense under the attention, but they were able to make it to her car without a hitch. She smiled up at him, but he could see her brow was furrowed in pain and she was trying to subtly grab her side.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" He didn't want to sound condescending, he knew full well she could take care of herself and had dealt with this for god knows how long, but, call him ridiculous, but he could only focus on the fact his petite partner was freely bleeding out right now.

She laughed and he grinned at the sweet sound. "Yes Mulder, I'll survive. Thank you for making this less humiliating for me than it could have been." She opened up her car door, re-setting down her stained top on her seat. She turned to him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, well really his jaw since that's about all she could reach, even on her tip-toes. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He couldn't help the grin that made its way to his face at the gesture and waved her off as she drove away. He got into his car and started on his normal route back home.

It wasn't as if he was oblivious to the intricacies of the female reproductive system, he even knew more details about Scully's than what could have possibly been anticipated, but he had genuinely never considered the fact she had to deal with this every month. He felt his heart sink when he realized what a period might represent for Scully. Normally blood represented fertility and healthy ovulation. Things that Scully didn't have. Was this monthly occurrence a source of great pain for for her? Blood of life that would never provide. A slight twinge of guilt started gnawing at him when he started to really think about it. _How many times have I pushed her and made her run around chasing monsters and serial killers when she was in pain and bleeding?_

He knew she was tough and it's not like she would ever opt out on a case just because of this, she obviously had never made a big deal out of it, but the fact he had never taken it into consideration bothered him. He tried to remember what they were doing a month ago from today, and let out an exasperated sigh when he realized it was the case that he had snapped at her. She had done two autopsies back to back and had protested when he asked that she do a third.

 _"Mulder, I've been on my feet for eight hours. The lab will probably be so swamped with what I just sent in, that it wouldn't make a difference if this body's samples were sent in tonight or tomorrow morning."_ He remembered she had been laying on her bed awkwardly and looked truly exhausted.

 _"Sure. Fine. Whatever."_ He had snottily regurgitated those charged words back at her before storming off. Retrospectively, regardless of her predicament, he was still totally out of line and was being a total dick. But with the new knowledge that she had probably been having cramps and soreness all day while on her feet, added to his building guilt.

Running a hand through his hair, he pulled over to the side of the road to the nearest convenience store. He just wanted to do something nice for her. Scanning the aisles, he realized he was a little out of his element. He never really had been close enough with a woman before to hear her talk about her menstrual cycle, so he was at a loss as to what would help. He tried to summon all the knowledge he had accumulated from television shows and readings and found himself frowning at how grossly underrepresented this normal-bodily function was in the media.

Deciding he didn't need to start a women's rights rally in the middle of the store, he stuck with what was obvious, and what he knew Scully liked. He left the store with Midol, a heating pad, red and white wine, that weird chili flavored chocolate she raved about, and a bouquet of flowers. He couldn't help the embarrassed blush that broke out on his face at the older store clerk's praises, "What a wonderful young man you are! Taking care of your woman like this. The world needs more fellows like you!"

He made his way to Scully's apartment and felt slight worry blossom in the pit of his stomach. _Is this too much? Will she be offended?_ Deciding it was too late to worry, he jogged up to her apartment, lightly knocking on the door with his offerings behind his back.

She opened the door after a moment and met him with surprised eyes, "Mulder, what's up?" He smiled down at her choice of pyjamas; what he recognized to be an old Yale sweater he thought he had lost with polka dotted silk shorts. Her eyes followed his gaze and an embarrassed grin spread across her face.

He loved it and didn't want her to think she had to give it back, so he brought the flowers and the bag of goodies from behind his back, earning him a soft gasp. "Mulder, what is all this?" She asked, taking the bouquet and bag from his hands, ushering him inside. He closed the door behind him as she made her way to the kitchen counter, opening the bag.

All the sudden feeling shy, he rubbed the back of his neck while explaining himself. "Well, I still felt bad that you had to deal with that today, and then on my way home, I realized that I never took your well being into consideration while we were on cases. Well, I mean, I cared about your well being, but not in regards to your time of the month. And while I know you would never make a big deal out of it, and I promise I won't either, but I just felt like a dick for being so hard on you, and I wanted to make you feel better." During his speech he got a bit more confident at the beaming smile she had while unpacking her gifts.

She looked up at him and surprise him when he saw tears in her eyes. "Mulder, this is so sweet, thank you so much." She walked around the table and gave him a big hug, which he relished every second of.

After a moment, she looked up at him with an embarrassed chuckle and broke the hug, wiping away the tears she had shed. "Um, I just finished making soup. You can have some if you want to stay and watch a movie with me?" she offered.

"I would love that," he beamed. _She would never cease to amaze him._

 **I hope you enjoyed! I personally think menstruation shouldn't be a shameful topic, so I guess my feminist propaganda has leaked into my fanfiction, oops lol. Leave a review and tell me if you liked it and anything you want to see in the future. I may not answer immediately, but know that I see everything and do thoroughly take all requests seriously! Thanks! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	7. Gentleman

**Author's Note: Hey! Sorry for the longer pauses between chapters, college started back up again and I'm getting resettled. Thank you so much for the positive responses! You guys are so sweet and I adore you! Hope you enjoy :)**

Gentleman: (noun) a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man.

From her mere five years assigned to the X-Files, Scully had traveled thousands of miles, experienced most of the fifty states, and became an expert at navigating highways with just a map and compass in hand. Mulder and her had a routine that had been going moderately well. When he found a case he wanted to investigate, he would get the airplane tickets, rental car, and motel while she tied up loose ends at the office and reported back to Skinner. It was a routine that had never led them astray. Until now, that is.

Everything had been going normal; Mulder found a case in Missouri, they had flown to the St. Louis international airport, and their rental car was there waiting so they could make the two hour drive to Grafton. Retrospectively, she should have known this would end badly.

"Mulder, what is that?"

"It's a vehicle of opportunity, Scully!" She cocked an eyebrow waiting for him to reveal this was an elaborate joke. Mulder, apparently in all seriousness, was currently leaning against a beaten up station wagon that looked like it hadn't been used since the 70's. Her presumption had been correct when she noticed the "Vote Jimmy Carter" bumper sticker clinging to the back of the car.

"Did you request this car?" She didn't know if he was motivated by some unknown nostalgia or if this was an accident, but she was truly at a loss for how this museum on wheels made its way into his hands.

"Well," he started guiltily, leaning off the car, "actually, I had forgotten to call ahead of time and this was all they had left."

"Do you think it will make the drive?" She asked hesitantly. She didn't want to dampen his excitement, but realistically this car was near twenty years old.

"I guess we'll have to find out," he replied, making his way to her side of the car to open her door for her, bowing an arm in a show of gallantry, "your chariot awaits." Scully chuckled and made her way into the passenger's seat. She saw him glance to make sure all her arms and legs were inside the vehicle before he shut it.

She had a moment to fully process the interior as Mulder made his way to the driver's seat. It looked as old on the inside as it did on the outside. While Mulder sat down she laughed, "The floor mats are made of shag carpet, Mulder," gesturing to the bottom of the car.

He took a glance down to check and a grin broke out on his face. Meeting her incredulous gaze, he smacked the red dice hanging from the mirror, "Groovy."

They had made it about thirty minutes before the air conditioning let out its death rattles. In their usual luck, Missouri was experiencing a heat wave in the middle of August. Their only reprieve was the fact the afternoon was weaning.

Scully was uncomfortable, but when she glanced at Mulder after the AC stopped, she could tell he was feeling guilty and didn't want to make him feel worse by complaining. Most of her current irritation was at herself. She had checked the weather before leaving and she _knew_ it was going to be hot. With a desire to remain professional, she had decided to wear her normal attire, minus the suit jackets, thinking that would make a difference. _Wrong._

Now she was sitting in the Missouri heat in a long sleeve white blouse, tucked into a knee-length skirt with pantyhose on underneath, and she was boiling. Trying to subtly alleviate her discomfort, she looked around for something she could tie her hair up with. She usually didn't carry hair ties on her because her hair was so short that it was usually a redundant effort. Right now she would do anything to keep her hair from sticking to the back of her neck. Her eyes ended up fixating on the only thing that could work, a rubber band that was resting on Mulder's slim wrist. "Mulder can I have the rubber band around your wrist if it's not important."

He glanced at her curiously, but complied nonetheless. He took the rubber band clad hand off the wheel and pointed it in her direction, making her remove it for him. Trying to avoid snagging any of his hair near the band, she placed her fingers on either side of his wrist and slipped them under the band, rubbing her fingertips along the side of his wrist inadvertently. She saw him take his eyes off the road to glance at her ministrations, fixated at her touch. She stretched the band taut and removed it, muttering a shy "Thanks."

"What'dya need it for?" He asked returning his hand to the wheel and his eyes to the road.

"I just wanted to tie my hair back, and I don't have a hair tie." She scooted forward in her seat so that she could move her hands up without hitting her elbows on the seat or the window. Putting the band on her own wrist for the time being, she gently combed her fingers through her slightly damp hair, removing all the tangles. Once she was satisfied she started the age old dance of hair braiding, parting her front into three strands, gradually picking up more hair into each as she made her way down her scalp to the base of her neck. By the time she was finishing, she was bending over slightly in her seat so she could have better access, the top of her head nearly touching the console.

She started to grab the band off her wrist when she felt Mulder graze the nape of her neck with his fingertips. "You missed some," he said softly. She felt him use one finger to loop some stray hairs into a tendril and gently met her fingers with his own to put the hairs in place. After her initial surprise, she used her thumb to collect the hair being offered and then wrapped them all up with the band, twisting it five times before it would hold on its own. She self consciously ran her hand from her hairline to the two inch-long ponytail sticking outward, making sure there wasn't any hair sticking out of place. She could feel Mulder's eyes on her, and her suspicions were confirmed when he said, "It looks nice."

Sitting back up, she met his gaze and mumbled an appreciative, "Thanks."

In this moment, she was temporarily happy for the heat. She knew she was irrationally blushing from Mulder's unrelenting attention, but she could blame any flush on the temperature. However, much to her embarrassment, he still felt the need to ask.

"Scully, are you okay? Your cheeks are flushed," she looked over at him and saw there was a slight smirk on his face. _Asshole._

"In case you forgot, we're in the middle of a summer heatwave with no air conditioning." She tried to sound curt to hide her embarrassment, but she knew her voice hadn't hidden anything.

"Want to roll down the windows? It may get windy, but it might help a little?" He offered. She didn't give him an answer, she just grasped the window mechanism and rotated it until the window was down as Mulder did the same on his side.

Since the were going seventy on the highway, it was a little aggressive. She felt thin strands of hair escape from her braid and fly around her head, as if caught in a tornado. The strands of her hair that weren't flying around ended up sticking to her red lip gloss, she assumed she was making quite an image. Taking a glance to her left, she saw Mulder leaning back in his seat with an arm hung over the steering wheel, the other resting on his lap. His shirt sleeves had been rolled up and were bunched up around his elbow, revealing his muscular forearms. Since his hair was so short, the wind was just brushing it back, making it look sleek. Scully couldn't help but think that he looked like a model in an Armani ad, and she yet again was thankful she could blame her flushed face on the heat.

They were able to make it another hour before the next problem.

"Uh, Scully do you see that?" She had been trying to figure out what crop was growing next to them when he pulled her out of her reverie. When she turned to ask him what he meant, she immediately saw it. Blackish smoke was tufting from under the hood of the car. She gave a concerned affirmation and he pulled the car off onto the shoulder.

They got out of the car together and she watched as he went into full Mulder-mechanic mode. Rolling up his sleeves as high as they could go, he lifted the hood, leaned over the engine, and started assessing the situation. Scully thought she should help, but she was having fun assessing Mulder. She had seen him wield a gun, she had seen him chase down bad guys, but for some reason, seeing him focused this intently, was insanely hot to her.

She didn't realize she was gawking until she heard him amusedly call out, "Earth to Scully?" Her eyes adjusted quickly, and she was embarrassed to see he was looking at her with a shit-eating grin. "You okay?"

She cleared her throat before offering a weak, "It's hot." _You're hot._

He chuckled lightly, "Wow, I never knew you were so affected by heat." _So affected by me._ She knew he was on the same page and just offered him a lighthearted glare.

"So what's the prognosis?" She brought their attention back to the car and away from their loaded innuendo.

"I don't feel safe driving in it right now. I was never really taught much about cars, they weren't in my area of interest, so I'm not sure what's wrong," he said sheepishly, running a hand up and down the base of his neck, his nervous tick.

"Let me guess, in terms of transportation vehicles, UFO's were more in _your area of interest."_ she teased.

He grasped his heart in mock-admiration, "My, Scully, you know me so well," earning a chuckle from her.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked, taking in the sun starting to set behind him.

He took his hand off his chest, getting serious. "We passed by a rest stop just about a mile or two back. I was going to walk there and ask them about what to do. You can wait here if you want, I don't want to make you walk a mile in this heat. Do you have your gun on you or is it in the trunk?" She could tell by his rambling that he was thoroughly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her in a broken down car on the side of the highway. He didn't want to insult her though, but was still imagining every worst case scenario in his mind.

She tried to suppress an amused smirk from showing, "It's fine. Truck drivers love picking up pretty young things on the side of the road. With legs like that, I'd feel much safer walking with you so no one tries to take you."

He let out the breath he had been holding with a laugh. Obviously relieved that she knew what he had been worried about and wasn't mad at him. They made their way down the highway talking about different things that came to mind.

When they were about a quarter mile from the rest stop, out of absolutely nowhere, it started to pour. Letting out a disbelieving laugh, they looked up at the sky.

"Luck is really in our favor today," she sarcastically mused out loud. When she turned to look at him, she noticed, for once it was him who was blushing.

"Uh-Scully," he started, all the sudden acting like a shy school boy.

"What?" She pressed, worried he had realized something bad. He glanced back to her and she noticed his eyes remained glued to her shirt. Lifting one hand up, he weakly gestured for her to look.

Glancing down, she cursed every god in the book. Today was filled with bad luck and poor decisions. She hadn't realized how many bad decisions she had made until this very moment. For one, she decided to wear a white top today because the sun isn't as attracted to light colors. Two, she didn't wear her usual camisole or tank top underneath because she thought it would be too hot. Third, she didn't bring an umbrella _even though she checked the fucking weather forecast before they left._ And Fourth, but most importantly, she decided today was the day she was going to try out her new, nude, sheer bra. The rain left her white shirt absolutely see through and clinging to her skin, but her bra, aided by the rain, left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Wide-eyed, she looked back at him and noticed he was staring around, at the sky, at the ground, anything to look like he hadn't just gotten a total eyeful. She crossed her arms over her chest and noticed, with a slight cheer, that he was also crossing his hands in front of himself to hide something. _A very impressive something._ When he saw her hands move, he decided it was safe to look back.

"Uh-" She muttered awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

"Do you want my shirt?" The words tumbled quickly out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Do you want to wear my shirt? It's black and I'm wearing something underneath. We're almost to the gas station, and um, I don't want anyone in there-I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he stuttered his offer, trying to lessen her embarrassment.

 _And they say chivalry is dead._ Scully smiled at Mulder, literally offering the shirt off his back to help her protect her modesty. Usually shows of manliness irritated her pride. But every time he did it, she felt her heart flutter. When he opens doors for her, helps her, tries to hide his boners for her, it was always out of respect for her and she adored him. Fox Mulder, pure-hearted gentleman.

"Yes please. Not everyone deserves to see me half naked." _But you do._ She saw him pick up her hidden meaning, and she was rewarded with a full toothed smile.

He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and draped it over her shoulders, helping her ease her arms through the holes, while trying not to stare at her re-exposed chest. Even though the shirt was wet, she was encased in Mulder's scent. She buttoned the shirt up and was amused at how much it engulfed her small frame. She looked up to see that Mulder was equally as amused with this development, but her mind was preoccupied with something else. Within seconds, the roles were reversed, and Scully was staring at a rain-drenched Mulder in a clinging white tank top. She could see every muscle though his shirt, and it's all she could stare at for the rest of the walk.

 **Hope you enjoyed! I wrote this at work, and I'm about to get off so I can go hope and watch episode three that was just on. I hope it's as good and MSR filled as last week, I had to stay off tumblr to avoid spoilers lol. Leave a review if you liked it! They fuel me with love. -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	8. Holistic

**Author's Note: Okay, so that last episode of** ** _The X-Files_** **was absolutely fantastic. Wow, my shipper heart has exploded. Thank you for all those who left feedback! Sorry if anyone was getting constant "chapter updated" notifications; I actually went back and proofread the last chapters and updated them with corrections.**

Holistic: (adjective) characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

Scully was pretty talented at hiding her irritation. Mulder was sure years of working with him had helped her refine this skill, so it really took a lot to make her lose her cool. He still wasn't sure what extremes it took to unleash pure Scully anger, but apparently an airport losing her luggage was enough. She had spent the past twenty minutes arguing with the baggage claim trying to find her suitcase before they told her it was lost indefinitely.

"How does an airline manage to transport thirty pieces of luggage without a hitch, but at the same time, lose another piece _indefinitely."_ Scully seethed to the unperturbed attendant.

"Ma'am, I apologize for any inconvenience. The most we can do is promise that we will call your listed number with any developments, and offer you a free subscription to _American-"_

"Sure. Fine. Whatever," Scully cut the woman off mid-pitch and nearly ran into Mulder in her haste to get away. Though his legs were significantly longer, Mulder was having a hard time keeping up with Hurricane Scully's aggressive walk to the exit.

Catching up to her, Mulder tried to figure out why she was so bothered. "Hey, I'm sorry Scully. Was there anything in there of sentimental value or that you can't replace?"

Scully halted her pace a bit so she could fully address him. "Mulder, you know I'm not one to buy into paranoia on a whim, but I do find it suspicious that, the _one_ time I put the case files in my luggage instead of putting them in my carry-on, this happens."

"The case files were in there?" She have him an affirmative nod in exasperation. He didn't have a shadow of doubt in his mind that someone had deliberately stolen her bag to get the information in the files.

"And now whoever stole my luggage not only has the files, but all of my personal items I needed for the rest of our time here." At his glance she added, "Nothing was especially important to me, I don't travel with my favorite clothes, but it's still a little violating."

Mulder nodded, not really knowing if there was anything he could say to make the situation better. "Well, we can run to a store so you can have what you need for the rest of the trip."

"I have to be at the coroner's at seven tomorrow morning, so we'll have to stop by one tonight before checking into the motel."

He took a glance at his watch and saw it was a little past ten thirty. Being they were in a random town in Connecticut, he knew there was likely going to be one option still open this late. "We better get a move on then G-Woman. Hope you're ready to become a spokesmodel for Walmart's 1998 fashion line."

"Wow, dreams do come true. I can't wait to tell my mom," she teased sarcastically.

Pulling up to the Walmart parking lot, Mulder actually felt a sense of excitement building in his chest. He felt bad that Scully had to do this, but this was the first time they had ever gotten to do something so domestic together. They were walking up to _Walmart_ to shop for Scully. It was something so simple and mundane that it honestly thrilled him.

The motion sensored doors opened up when they approached, and they were both pleased to see that it was relatively empty, well, as much as a Walmart could be.

Mulder stepped to the side and got a cart from the corral, "I'll follow you with the cart so you can look around." She smiled and handed him her purse, signalling to put it in the front basket of the cart. He already felt like a doting husband.

He was a few steps behind her, watching her formulate a plan. "Hey, is this a 24 hour Walmart or a close at midnight Walmart?"

He glanced down at his watch and was shocked to see how long it had taken them to get there. "A close at midnight Walmart, and it's twenty past eleven right now."

She pursed her lips and took another sweep of the massive store. "Okay. I'm pickier on my toiletries than a bunch of clothes I probably will replace anyway, so can you go to the women's section and pick me up some items that look professional and neutral? I'm just going to run and get deodorant, hair care, and what not," she commanded as she started taking a few steps towards her mission.

"Size small?" he asked, excited to pick out Scully's wardrobe.

"Yeah, but a big shirt to sleep in," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, but the amused smirk gave her away.

They turned to their designated areas before another thought hit him and he called over his shoulder, "34C?"

"Wishful thinking, Mulder!" was the only response he got back.

Making his way to the women's section, he found himself immersed in a world that went over his head. He was used to getting in, finding what he needed, getting his size, and leaving. There were just so many _options_ here.

There were a lot more categories of women's clothes than he had anticipated. It felt like a labyrinth to a newcomer like himself. After a few moments of failure, he found a rack of graphic tees. He figured this may be what she meant by 'big shirt', so he took a good look at his options.

Since the Bureau had insurance for lost luggage, he knew Scully would get a check to reimburse her for her lost items later. This Walmart trip was also going to be covered by the Bureau card, but would probably never be worn again. So, no harm, no foul. He felt himself grin as he scanned the options; Beavis and Butthead, Marilyn Monroe, the MTV logo, a shirt with a gun on it. Picturing Scully wearing any of these amused him to no end. Scanning the last row, he saw a Led Zepplin shirt that he owned himself. Call him a hopeless romantic, but he liked the idea of Scully and him having a matching shirt, even if only for a little while.

Mulder grabbed an extra large shirt and tossed it in the basket before moving back to his main mission. He tried to scan the aisles for what he thought Scully would consider 'professional' and was relieved to see a small section in the back dedicated to blouses and skirts that went past mid-thigh, _sadly._

He went to the button-ups and picked up a dark purple blouse. He lifted it off the rack and felt the fabric, imagining what it would feel like on Scully's skin. In an honest attempt to make sure the shirt was a good fabric, he held it up to the light to examine it when he heard a teasing voice behind him, "Are you making sure it's see through?"

He jumped, nearly dropping the shirt in surprise, before spinning around to see Scully standing behind him with a shiteating grin on her face. He lowered the shirt while chuckling with embarrassment. "No, Scully, I was making sure it was a good fabric so that it wouldn't be see through. I wanted to make sure it would keep you warm."

She beamed at his sentiment but didn't relent her teasing, "Thank you so much for being concerned about my body heat in the middle of July." She moved around to the main basket of the cart and dropped the items she had been holding, which were just a plethora of items that smelt of vanilla and lavender, the ultimate Scully-scent.

He was also impressed to see she had grabbed a simple blue suitcase to put her stuff in for the trip back. "Looks like you've had better luck than me. I got lost in this maze. I've only gotten the sleep shirt thus far." She took the blouse from his hand and gave it an appreciative glance.

"That's fine, thank you. I don't imagine this will take long." He watched in complete fascination as Scully had an internal fashion show. She would hold up various items of clothing, press them to her frame to check if they would fit the way she wanted, and put them on the self or cart accordingly. He enjoyed watching her perform this routine she had clearly mastered from years of practice. A facet of her life revealing itself before him.

She was true to her word, and she had finished grabbing a few necessary items of clothing for the week within only a few minutes. He turned his cart towards the door when she called for him to wait.

"What else do you need?" he asked. She always packed lightly so he didn't imagine what else she may need. He had to fight a prepubescent blush from spreading on his cheeks as she pointed.

"I would like to not go commando for a week straight," she teased as she walked towards the lingerie section, beckoning him to follow.

He felt a budding excitement in his chest, among other things, that she had invited him to walk with her into this section. She could have easily just asked him to wait for her where he was. They had always teased each other back and forth, a dance around their attraction to one another, but this was a different layer of teasing that felt almost intimate.

When they stopped in front of the underwear and socks, he gave her her privacy to choose without him ogling. Also because he didn't want to embarrass himself in the middle of Walmart by imagining her wearing the panties she was picking out right now. He took a glance to see if she was almost done and had to quickly avert his gaze when he saw her hand entangled in a bundle of lace that she had picked out. He heard a soft snicker and he knew she was teasing him. _Well-played._

He heard her stand up and drop her findings to join the rest. She shifted ever so slightly and moved to stand along the wall of bras, "Damn it."

Mulder turned his head to see if she was talking to him when he saw her glaring at the selection, a grin spreading on his face when he noticed the one in her hand. "You know, I have a tie that matches that exactly. If you were jealous all you had to do was ask." Her grin may have been intimidating if she just hadn't set down a bright green 'Marvin the Martian' bra into the cart.

"This is the only one they have in my size, and I'm not going to wear out the one I have on right now."

"If it's any consolation, I think it'll look great," he winked, earning a rare blush from Scully.

They finally made it up to the only cash register open in the nick of time and were idly chit-chatting as they set the new stuff down on the conveyor belt.

"You know Scully, it's a shame that we don't actually participate in those 'team building exercises'," he mused to her.

"Well, I care to remind you, that _you_ are the reasons we don't go to those. But for the sake of interest, what made you think of that."

"Look at us. We made a great team. At work, in this Walmart. Not to toot our own horn, but we are a very efficient pair Scully. We work amazing as separate individuals bringing different skills to the table, so to speak, but holistically we are an amazing partnership." He could tell his unabashed honesty in this moment was taking her by surprise, even though she was hiding back a big smile, so he broke it up with a joke. "I even knew your bra size just from pure intuition," he grinned, holding up the martian bra.

"Oh, _pure intuition,_ is that what they call leering nowadays?" she teased back.

He grasped his heart in mock offense, "Why Scully, I would never."

She chuckled at his display before cocking an eyebrow at the garment in her hands, "Um, Mulder. What is this?" Pivoting it around, he recognized she had found the Zeppelin shirt.

"Your sleep shirt," he answered, slightly shy.

"You take me as a heavy metal type of girl?" She was clearly amused and curious about his choice.

"Would you rather have the Beavis and Butthead shirt? I have that same one at home and, for your information, it is very comfortable." At his words, she smiled down at the shirt and put it on the belt without further questions. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but it really appeared that she enjoyed the fact he had one like it as much as he did.

The total ended up being less than they anticipated, and they made their way out to the car with their hands full of bags and success. They shoved it all in the trunk of the rental before making their way into the car.

"I agree," Scully mumbled unprompted.

"You agree with what?"

"We do make a great partnership." She was avoiding his eyes like she normally did anytime she was revealing her feelings, but it made him happy nonetheless.

"Damn right we do."

 **I hope that was enjoyable. Looking back, this was a really weird route to go with the word prompt, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please, please leave a review and have a nice day! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	9. Intimacy

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for getting this far. Tonight's episode of** _ **The X-Files (#4)**_ **looks really good. I genuinely am loving this season, minus** _ **that**_ **line from the end of the first episode. My biggest hope is that they end it with a great resolution to the story/character arcs (side note; #RedemptionForMonica), and that MSR CAN BE HAPPY INDEFINITELY. Sorry for my rant, I digress. Hope you enjoy!**

Intimacy: (noun) a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group; an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection, or the like.

Scully supposed that coming into Mulder's room half-naked only a few days after meeting him was the catalyst for their closer-than-normal relationship. Mulder, being ever the gentleman, never brought that night up unless he was gently teasing her. He knew that it was an uncharacteristic moment of unadulterated panic, and he never misunderstood it as her making a pass at him. When she made a pass at him, she made damn-well sure he knew it.

Retrospectively, she wasn't the only one who bared something personal that night. Though her bearing was a bit more literal, he revealed the most personal aspect of his life to her; he told her about Samantha.

It's been six years since that night, and every time she looks back on it, her curiosity grows. Upon first meeting, he made it clear that he assumed she was just there to spy on him. However, just a few days later, he divulged his personal history. For awhile she just assumed he was doing an eye for an eye; she did something embarrassingly personal so he gave her something back to even the playing field.

She doesn't remember who it as, but she remembered distinctly that there was a time where someone was asking a lot of personal questions, and Mulder danced around mentioning Samantha with practiced precision. The questions weren't necessarily invasive, the information would have been tame compared to all the details he had shared with her, but it became clear to her that he didn't mention Samantha to just anyone. That was the moment she realized he saw something in her that night all those years ago that led him to trust her. What it was, she still didn't know.

What she did know was that, unwittingly over the years, she had become unwaveringly dedicated to keeping his secrets. The fact that Fox Mulder was hunting aliens because his sister was taken isn't exactly a hidden fact at the FBI. How this information got out, she didn't know. All she could assume was that he confided in someone in the past and they betrayed his trust, spreading it around and making a laughing stock of 'Spooky Mulder'. The thought that this sweet, caring man had opened up the most personal aspect of his life, only to be callously exposed made her blood boil. She would never do that to him. He meant to much to her. She knew the feeling was mutual.

It took her longer to reveal anything that personal to him. Mulder was a perceptive man, but not an invasive one. He knew how much being kidnapped so many times over the course of a few years bothered her. He saw her jump when she heard trunks slam shut, he noticed her rub the back of her neck idly when abductions were mentioned, he heard her breathing hitch when a random man at an airport called her _girly girl_ , but he never pried.

Scully had never really been one to reveal her emotions, it just wasn't something she knew how to do. There were times she desperately wanted to confide in Mulder, she knew he wanted her to, that it would help, but the words died in her throat every time she saw his attentive, concerned stare. She didn't want to burden him. When she finally did confide in him, it was a bit out of her control.

They were, yet again, in an adjoined motel room in the middle of nowhere. The routine they had mastered over the years had been broken that night because of a nightmare. She doesn't remember the details of the specific dream, but she had had enough of them over the years to know what had been happening. She was kidnapped, she was beaten, and she was about to be murdered. Usually, she woke up right before her death in the dream, she would be covered in sweat in her silent apartment, she would feel sorry for herself, and inevitably fall back to sleep.

She definitely had never woken up to the silhouette of a man leaning over her grabbing her shoulders. In her adrenaline fueled, sleep ridden state, she instinctively fought back. With a desperate, "Let me go!", she shoved her arms against the man's chest and brought her knee up to his groin, sending him falling onto his side at the end of the bed.

She was about to scramble off the bed to grab her gun when the man's moans of pain registered in her ears. _Mulder._ She quickly met him at the end of the bed to affirm her suspicions, she had definitely just kneed Mulder in the crotch. Guilt filled her immediately and she rested concerned hands on his shoulder and forehead. "Oh my god, Mulder I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

With surprising grace for the amount of pain he must be in, he lifted himself upright in the bed to meet her eyes. "I could ask you the same thing, Scully."

"What do you mean?" Her concern for his well being had superseded any thoughts about her dream.

"Scully, you were just screaming bloody murder-" his brow furrowed in concern at her dismissal of what had just caused him extreme stress. "I called out your name and you wouldn't answer. I opened the adjoining door to see you thrashing around the bed like you were fighting something." She felt a wave of embarrassment rush through her. "I didn't mean to scare you by holding your shoulders, I was just worried you would hurt yourself, and you weren't waking up. I was scared."

He was hunched over slightly, trying to regain composure from his injury, but the look of pure worry hadn't eased its way off his face. It just added to Scully's building guilt. She couldn't meet his eyes when she tried to explain herself, "I'm sorry I woke you up and hit you, I was just disoriented."

She stopped when she felt his hand move to her chin, nudging gently for her to look at him. "Hey, don't apologize, there's nothing to be sorry about. Trust me, I understand how terrifying vivid nightmares can be."

When she met his intense gaze, she saw nothing but understanding and compassion reflected in his stare. To this day she will blame it on the stress of the nightmare, but in that moment, Dana Katherine Scully cracked.

She felt her eyes start to burn and her chin starting to quiver. She tried to look away so he wouldn't see her face inevitably crumble, but of course, as always, she couldn't hide anything from Mulder.

"Hey, hey, hey," he rushed out, grabbing her torso and pulling her into him. "You're okay. You're safe. I promise. Shh-shh," he mumbled reassurances into the crown of her head while he wrapped his arms around her, one hand reaching up to brush her hair.

At his words, she broke. It started as a broken whimper and quickly turned into her sobbing mournfully into his t-shirt. Months, hell years, of repressed emotions were pouring out into Mulder's understanding embrace. With the unspoken understanding that prevailed their relationship, he let her get it all out without interruption. He just held her and rocked her as she went through an emotional catharsis. She clutched onto him like her life depended on it. She cried for everything she had lost until her face hurt and her tears ran dry.

They say in silence for who knows how long, reveling in the company of the other. Mulder only speaking up when he was sure she had let it all out. "Do you want to talk about it?" An option, a choice, just like Mulder not to pry it out of her. Not only would he allow her to rebuild her guarded walls after such an emotional display, he would provide the mortar and bricks to help her, no matter how much it saddened him.

If this scene had been reversed, she would have been dying to make sure he was alright, to find out what caused this and hold him until it didn't matter anymore; to leave him in the dark would be a disservice to all they've just been through. Her voice came out scratch and nasally from her bawling, "Sometimes I see them when I dream." She didn't have to specify, he knew.

They hadn't moved from their embrace, just adapted it. He was sitting on her bed, arms around her body while petting her hair, and she was leaning snugly against his chest, rising and falling with each of his breaths. The sound of his heartbeat was quickly becoming the most beautiful song she had ever heard.

"I dream about it too. Not them necessarily, but being too late. Not finding you." It was subconscious, but his grip on her had tightened, much like his throat had constricted while trying to say those words, he had probably never said them out loud, but they had haunted him for years.

She would never know the full extent of how her disappearances affected him, but the stories she was told about him during her abduction were enough to give her an idea. She initially thought her mother was playing it up to romanticize their relationship, like she usually did. " _I've never seen a man with such a look of despair in his eyes. Like his purpose for living, his love for life, had dimmed. Like it was siphoned from his soul."_ When Skinner, in fewer words, told her the same thing, that Mulder had been like an aimless shell, she knew it had taken a toll on him more than she could ever imagine.

Mulder was so good with words, when he felt something, he let her know. She never returned that favor. Scully knew he would never pressure her, but it dawned on her what the _not knowing_ may be doing to him.

Feeling safe in his arms, with no expectation to face him, she decided to let him in. "I never used to be claustrophobic, but being in that trunk for so long really bothered me. Um-I used to love baths. But now all I can think of is Pfaster wanting to bathe me. Now I only take showers. I remember his sickly sweet voice when he asked me if my hair was normal or dry, I hear it every time I pick up my shampoo," she felt Mulder trying not to tense at her words, not wanting to cause her to stop but bothered immensely by these new details.

"I don't remember my _abduction_. I try, but nothing comes back clear. I don't know what I would hate worse, knowing exactly what horrible things they did to me or just playing a guessing game of hypothesizing what horrible things they did to me," she cleared her throat before continuing, "I just feel like I've glanced right into the eyes of evil and I saw my own mortality reflecting back in their depths."

He nuzzled the top of her head with his face, placing gentle kisses into her hair. "I wish I had something I could say that could take this all away. That I could make it better, but I know that's easier said than done." She leaned back from his chest so she could look at his face and saw a man full of longing and adoration.

In a whisper she hoped he would catch, she reassured, "You help me more than you could ever understand." She leaned back fully and tried to wipe her tears away. He moved to stand, but she grabbed his wrist in a gentle grasp. Figuring she'd embarrassed herself already tonight, she decided to go all the way with it, "Can you sleep next to me in my bed? Just for tonight?" Her voice sounded shyer than she had intended, but he looked endeared nonetheless.

"Of course," he smiled. Making his way to the other side of the bed, he tucked himself in as she did the same. Intimacy was something they didn't stray away from. Even though they weren't a _couple_ in the romantic definition of the word, they had experienced levels of emotional and mental intimacy unsurpassed by most people. Physical intimacy was another story. They were too exhausted, in every possible way, to do anything tonight, but that adolescent excitement of sharing a bed with someone so deeply cared about hung thick in the air. They were both aware of it too and it was evident with the smirks they gave each other.

Reaching one hand under the comforter to meet his, she whispered into the night words that couldn't being to truly hold her gratitude, "Thank you." She earned a hand squeeze in recognition and they slowly started drifting off into a comfortable slumber.

Before succumbing to sleep, when she had heard his breath even out and her eyelids were impossible to open, she mumbled in a sleepy whisper, "I love you so much."

She will never be positive if she had fallen asleep and dreamt it, or if he had been awake, but in the darkness she heard a soft reply of, "I love you too."

 **That was a bit different from the other chapters, so I hope it wasn't too bad. I had been considering this, and a wonderful reviewer sounded interested, so I wanted to gauge opinions. I was thinking of doing a companion series to this called "Words of Lust" which would we the same one-shot, A-Z premise, but as the title implies, they would all be sex/lust/M related words. What do you think? Thanks for reading! -Nicole (gaycrouton)**


	10. Joy

**Author's Note: Hello Friends! Guess who is stuck at work and didn't want to do homework and wrote Fanfiction instead, this bitch! Hope you enjoy!**

Joy: (noun) a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Mulder had a tendency to worry. It was something he had dealt with for as long as he could remember. He didn't think 'anxiety' was the right word, there were just certain, particular things he really, _really_ worried about. Scully was one of them, specifically, her health.

He had always been concerned for her well being, but after the cancer, there was a nagging fear that it would come back. He would like to think that she would tell him if anything was of concern, but at the same time, he knew what a private person she was. She wasn't one to concern him unless she was positive she had answers. Most of the time the worry was able to reside in the back of his mind, unless he saw a nose bleed.

Back when it was really bad, she would get a nosebleed two to three times a week, and that was just in his presence. They varied in severity most of the time. Sometimes she could wipe it away with a tissue while other times she had to take a ten minute bathroom break to recover. Their relationship was a little tense back then. Looking back on it, he was kind of treating her health like it was her duty to report back to him. She took that as him condescending her abilities to gauge her own health, but really he just wanted reassurance. It broke him that there was nothing he could do to help.

Now the cancer was gone, and their relationship was stronger than ever. Which is probably why he had reacted so intensely when he caught her clutching a bloody hand to her face.

They had been investigating a series of murders in a small town in Colorado. Eventually they found out it was a bartender at a local pub, and they went to arrest him, they were met with a bit of a hassle. It resulted in Mulder having to chase the six foot man around the area like a madman. Eventually, the police arrived on the scene and were able to apprehend him when he burst out of the bar. It was only a few moments after that when he realized Scully was no longer behind him.

While he walked back inside, he passed by a big burly group of men shoving themselves out. He paid them no mind when he noticed Scully's small form leaning into the counter top of the bar. He couldn't see her face, but from where he was standing, it looked like she was hiding her face. Concerned, he rushed up behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Scully, everything alright?" She turned at his touch and his blood ran cold.

Her eyes were clenched shut and her hands were pressed white-knuckled against her nose, blood seeping in between her fingers and dripping grotesquely off her chin. It was like everything going on around him came to a sudden halt, all he could see was the red liquid and the tears gathering under her closed lashes.

 _The cancer was back. She had been FINE. They didn't have to worry about this anymore. This isn't fair, this isn't fair, this isn't fair._

He felt like a little boy again facing an enemy he had no idea how to fight. He felt a cold sweat creeping out of his body and dampening his palms. He wanted to hear her say something, he wanted her to tell him what she was feeling. He violently ripped a few napkins out of the canister next to him and nudged them at her. "Scully? Talk to me," he didn't realize he was about to cry until he heard the sound of his own voice coming out like a strangled sob.

The sound must have alarmed Scully, because she opened her eyes in shock and moved her focus to him. "Mulder, are you alright? Why are you so upset?" She took the napkins from his hands and liberally started pressing the napkin to her blood-stained face. _This was the most blood he had ever seen. It was bad._

He gestured a weak hand to her face in explanation, only offering an equally weak, "Your nose is bleeding. Is it back?" She looked at him in puzzlement before his meaning clicked in her head.

Her words were rushed in an attempt to comfort him, "Oh! No-no-no, Mulder, this isn't that. One of the patron's was mad we arrested his friend and he punched me in the face, that's why I hadn't followed you. A few of the bigger guys here took care of him and brought him outside so the cops could arrest him too." She paused before adding softly, "This isn't the cancer."

He felt his heartbeat in his ears because of the immense adrenaline rush that had just possessed his body. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what to say. In those few minutes, he had to relive the possibility of life without her and it terrified him. Mulder never was one for big displays of emotion, he was verbal, but expressing himself had always been a bit awkward. He felt his cheeks flush slightly and he knew his eyes were still a little misty. All he could focus on was her face.

She must have seen the tears because she immediately reverted into the role he made her take on so many times. "Hey, hey, hey," she took one of his palms and pressed it to the side of her face, nuzzling her cheek against the rough surface. "Everything's alright. I promise. We're safe right now. I don't even think it's broken, it just took me by surprise is all. Mulder look at me," she squeezed the back of his hand with her own, making sure he was fully focused before continuing, "I am okay."

Joyous relief filled him like a drug and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He raised his other shaky hand and pressed it to the other side of her face, beaming down at her.

He was appreciative of Scully's unrelenting patience and understanding, because she stood there and warmly accepted his examination of her. Muttering "thank god" under his breath like a religious chant, he took his hands and ran the everywhere he could touch; her arms, her neck, her cheeks, her lips, her hair. All before taking her tiny body and enveloping her into a hug. The hug was shrouded with so much desperate gratitude, that it felt like he was trying to absorb their bodies to become one.

He heard her start to chuckle and he pulled back a little bit so he could see the smile on her face. She had set the tissue on the counter so she could reciprocate the hug, and he could see her nose had stopped bleeding. Looking up he noticed appreciation and adoration in her eyes and it made his heart ache.

He didn't know if it was the adrenaline or years of longing, but he took a chance. Putting one hand on the small of her back and the other on the base of her neck, the key to her life resting underneath the skin beneath his fingertips, he kissed her.

Not a New Year's peck, he gave her the kiss that bared his whole soul. He felt his heart leap when, after only a beat, she was pressing up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lips were warm velvet against his own and he couldn't have imagined better in his dreams. _Dana Katherine Scully was kissing him._ He could feel her mouth pressing against his with a matching vigor and the kiss only broke when they started smiling into each other's mouths.

Breaking away, they met eyes with unrelenting joy, years of teasing and tension accumulated into this one moment. And it was amazing. She laughed shyly before whispering breathlessly, "I'm sorry I scared you, but I'm happy with your reaction."

Not losing their embrace, he ran a hand through her hair and rested it back on the side of her face, "You're sure you're okay?"

She smiled up at him, their height difference really exacerbated by the closeness, "One area of my face throbs, but the rest of my body feels amazing." He laughed at her response before running one finger gently over the currently forming bruise.

"I never want to lose you," he whispered. He was slightly embarrassed by his vulnerability these passed few minutes, but the payoff of having Scully in his arms with that look of love on her face was worth every moment of worry.

She turned her head so he could kiss the middle of his palm, "You'll never have to." They stayed like that for a moment before making their way back out to the car. The held hands the whole way back, the only time the broke apart was so Mulder could give someone in handcuffs a little payback.

 **I hope you liked it! Sorry there were two 'not as fluffy/slightly angsty' ones back to back. I get off work in half an hour and I DVR'd tonight's episode and I am so excited. It looks hilarious. Please, please leave a review, they bring me so much happiness. I would also just like to thank the individuals who have taken time to leave me a review on** ** _every chapter_** **, you mean so much to me and words cannot express my gratitude. - Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	11. Kissable

**Author's Note: Okay, episode four was fantastic. I love, love, love comedy episodes! If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend! I'm in the middle of a three hour Sexual Behavior lecture, so I decided to pass the time by writing fanfiction. Lol, I have no self control. Enjoy!**

Kissable: (adjective) inviting kissing through being lovable or physically attractive.

It wasn't all that uncommon that X-Files turned out to be less than paranormal. A good portion of them were in the realm of 'normalcy', but they were only odd in the fact they were acts done by the lowest of the low. People who had urges so out of the norm, that to even consider them was strange. Mulder and Scully had seen it all, so when they were faced a crime with a run of the mill, standard creep, it took a bit longer for them to figure out.

For the last few days, at 1:12pm on the dot, the phone rang. The first day, Scully saw Mulder pick up the phone with practiced professionalism before his brow furrowed, "Hello? Hello?" He shrugged and hung up the phone before returning back to work.

"Was it a wrong number?"

"Um, well, I guess. Maybe a weak attempt at a prank call. All they said was 'blue' before hanging up," he chuckled.

They shrugged it off and it faded from their memory as quickly as it had happened. After all, the occasional prank call to the X-Files office was not a rarity. Usually the caller just said "E.T phone home" and hung up. It wasn't until the next day when their curiosity was piqued.

At the same time as the day before, the phone rang. Not giving it a second thought, Scully picked up the phone. "Agent Mulder's office, Agent Scully speaking."

There was a beat of silence before an amused voice whispered, "Purple." Before she could open her mouth to respond, she was met with the dial tone. Shrugging at Mulder, she hung up the phone and attempted to go back to work.

"Was that our joke-impaired friend?"

"Yeah, I guess the color of the day is purple," she grinned. Looking back at Mulder, she could see he was deep in contemplation. "Mulder, I wouldn't give it much thought. It's probably someone trying to just rile you up" They returned back to work and tried to push it out of their memory.

For the next four days, the same thing happened. 1:12pm, phone call, color, and then nothing. Mulder was adamant that these were clues to a bigger thing. In Scully's opinion, he was grasping at straws. He told her that if you added up the numbers on the clock when he called you got the number thirteen. When she asked him to elaborate on the significance, he went on an hour long rant covering all the conspiracies and connotations associated with the number.

The colors they had been given thus far were blue, purple, red twice, and black twice. Mulder also had a theory that the colors getting darker were a clue to something. What that was, he also did not know. That sixth day, he spent the entire time after the call going through his files to see what he had regarding color significance. Since the third day they've had the calls traced, but only to find the person was using various payphones around the area. He even tried to make geographical connections with ley lines, but to no avail. It was passed five o'clock and he hadn't found anything. Exhausted from the fruitless search, they decided to call it a day.

Walking into her apartment, Scully decided to treat herself to a long, hot bath. They had recently been in a dry spell. The bureau asked them to refrain from travelling anywhere until the year's budget came in, so they were stuck doing paperwork. She never thought she would see the day that she missed chasing serial killer and monsters down, but if she had to look at another document, her head would explode.

She had just stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself in a robe when something caught her eye. She had woken up late this morning and had inadvertently knocked over her hamper. She hadn't had time to pick it up, so her clothes were strewn all over the floor. With a sigh, she bent down and started picking the clothes up. She tried to do laundry once a week, and it was getting to that point already. Call her a neat freak, but she liked to separate her clothes by item type. In an attempt to save her time later, she started categorizing her clothes into smaller piles.

When she had finished and glanced at her work, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. In her intimates pile, she had five pair of underwear; one blue, one purple, two red, and one black. Taking a tentative glance back at the pile of clothes from today, her heart sped up when she saw a pair of black, lacy underwear sitting on the bed.

 _It's a coincidence. Mulder's paranoia is making you create connections that aren't there. This doesn't mean anything._

Letting out a breath and trying to calm herself down, she made her way to the bathroom and tried to enjoy herself. However, no matter what she tried, the concern wouldn't dissipate. She spent the next hour trying to think of what to do. She knew it was ridiculous, so she didn't want to call Mulder and bother him. Especially when it regarded something so personal. He would probably insist he needed to go through her underwear drawer in the name of research. She didn't know what irritated her more about that hypothetical situation; the prospect of him going through her things, or that it truly would be done with innocent intentions. She eventually lost herself in her train of thought and succumbed to sleep.

Waking up in the morning, she felt a sense of dread wash over her when she was getting dressed. Now, the unconscious act of choosing her underwear had a premanatory feel to it. In a moment of realization, she ran her hands all through her underwear drawer trying to see if there was some sort of camera lurking within. After that, she looked all around her room for some sort of surveillance. If the calls were correlated, then how did the man find out. She searched for about ten minutes without finding anything. With a sigh, she decided she was probably blowing things out of proportion. Returning back to the offending drawer, she tried to decide what to wear. If she chose something usual, she would just continue on this path of assuming coincidence. Deciding to be bold, she decided to forego underwear.

She put on her pantyhose and pan suit with a newfound eroticism. There was just something extremely sensual about not wearing any underwear. What she assumed would be met with discomfort was actually giving her a confidence boost. Finishing her routine, she made her way to the office and waited anxiously for 1:12pm to arrive.

At 1:10pm, she felt her heart start beating faster and a sense of nervousness spreading through her veins. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't want to seem like she was blowing things out of proportion and being silly, but she also was creeped out if her hypothesis was right.

She must have accidentally been staring at the phone, because Mulder's teasing voice pulled her out of her reverie, "Are you excited for our friend to call? We need to get a party line going."

She cleared her throat and tried to sound stern, "No, no. I-" Her sentence was interrupted by the shrill of the phone, Scully darted out her hand, but Mulder beat her to it with a shiteating grin.

"Hello?" He asked into the phone. His eyebrows raised and he asked, "What no color?". Scully felt her heart sink in her chest and her cheeks flame red. Not only did it sound like she was right, it sounded like the man on he other end was actually saying more today. _What was it?_ "Who is this?" There was a slight beat before Mulder pursed his lips and hung up the phone.

"W-What did he say?" She tried to sound casual, but she knew her voice was coming out a little shaky.

Mulder looked up to make eye contact, "He said the word 'nothing'. When I asked about the fact that's not a color, he said 'I'm as surprised as you are'. Since he seemed to be in good spirits today I asked who he was and he said 'a man in love'. I don't k-Hey Scully, are you alright?" He stopped his explanation when he saw, what must have been, a look of shock on her face.

She didn't know how to approach this. First of all, she felt violated that someone was stalking her underwear choices and reporting them to her work. Well, actually, this man may not even know she was down here. Mulder sounded like this was the first day the man was happy. When she picked up he _always_ seemed happy. Now that she remembered, that first day she answered he seemed oddly pleased. She felt her blood run cold, he wasn't calling _them,_ he was calling _Mulder's office._ Second of all, she was frightened because she truly had no idea how he was getting this information. She was so lost in her train of thought that it must have concerned Mulder, because he came around the desk to stand in front of her.

"Scully, what is it? Do you know something about this?" His brow was furrowed in pure concern as he looked down at her sitting form. His kindhearted nature was always prevalent whenever there was a possibility of her being in danger.

"I-um. Last night I was going through my laundry and I noticed my underwear corresponded with the colors that had been called in," she paused and noticed he looked as disturbed as she felt, "I looked all around my drawers and my bedroom and I couldn't find any surveillance equipment. I don't know how he knows." She decided to omit the last part, but, in typical Mulder fashion, he immediately knew.

"So you went commando today to test and make sure that you were right." She nodded and, when she looked into his eyes, she saw repressed lust dancing in his gaze. He cleared his throat before asking, "Do you go to the bathroom before or after you get changed for the day?" She saw him trying to discreetly take a glance down before nervously returning his gaze, biting his lip to keep his concentration.

"What? Why?" She asked. Under his warm gaze, she felt like an exhibitionist.

"Maybe it's something in your bathroom?" He explained.

"No. I dress and undress in my room and use the bathroom before that and when I get home," she explained.

"Do you use the restroom here everyday?"

"No, and if I do it's not always the same restroom."

He paused and looked reflective for a moment before a light bulb went off. "Did you check the vents?" She looked at him in realization.

"No, no I didn't." They held their gaze for a moment before grabbing their coats and rushing out the door.

In the end, a man they had arrested earlier in her career had developed an unhealthy affection for her. While he was in prison, his obsession grew to the point where he escaped, broke into her apartment, put cameras in her vent, and decided to tease Mulder about something _'he would never know.'_

"Well that's ironic he was teasing me about something 'I'd never know' by telling me exactly it was that I hadn't known, therefore making me know," he rambled, trying to make a joke out of the heavy relief they both felt that the man was easy to figure out. If it had been someone dangerous, they could only imagine what he could have done to her.

"A woman stalker with a camera. No X-ray vision, no shape shifting, but it took us a week to figure it out. It's amazing how slow our proficiency is when there isn't a paranormal or supernatural component," she joked back.

She went to walk back to her apartment when he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, her back pressed flush against his front as he wrapped his arms around her front. "I'm so glad nothing worse happened," he sighed into her hair. He had one arm pressed against the tops of her breasts while the other was wrapped around her middle, both hands gripping either arm. She closed her eyes as she felt his nose and lips nuzzle against the crown of her head pressing gentle kisses.

She raised her hands up to his forearms and squeezed them gently, "Me too."

He moved his head to lean down near her ear and whispered, "In the least lascivious way possible, I think the way you tested your theory was extremely...innovative."

She could feel him smile against her ear and she pivoted her body so that they were pressed front to front, "Not even a little lascivious?" They had bantered back and forth with more frequency nowadays, and she knew they could both feel the sexual tension rising with each day.

The look in his eye told her that he was picking up her hints, "Okay, honestly it was really hot." He licked his lips and it caught her attention immediately. His bottom lip had always been the subject of many of her fantasies, and now it was only a few inches away from her, looking tantalizingly kissable.

He must have noticed her focus, because a moment later, he was leaning down to bridge the gap. The kiss was everything she had imagined and so much more. She was slightly embarrassed by the fact she was so happy, that a few moments into the kiss she broke it because she couldn't stop smiling against his mouth. Pulling back, she was glad to see his face mirrored her own.

"Are purple, blue, red, and black the only colors you have?" He teased.

"Wanna come up and see?"

 **Sorry if that was super clunky. I had an idea but then I had to tie it to the word, so it felt a little disjointed. Once again, thank you for all who review! I appreciate you so much! If there's anything you want to see, please feel free to tell me. I love giving the people what they want. -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	12. Luxurious

**Author's Note: Hope all is well! Thank you for sticking with me. I promise I'm going to make this chapter more fluffy and lighthearted. This one is going to feature the classic 'has to share a bed' trope, but let's be honest, who doesn't love that. Lol, enjoy!**

Luxurious: (adjective) extremely comfortable, elegant, or enjoyable.

Between the two of them, Mulder was always in charge of setting up the travel arrangements whenever they went on a case. Plane tickets, rental cars, motel rooms; he was fluent in knowing what places were Bureau approved and how far in advance he needed to make the arrangements. He never made a mistake. Well, until right now.

He'd like to blame it on recent exhaustion, maybe an error in communication, but really, he had just plain forgot to make the hotel reservations. Now he was having to barter with a non-compliant hotel clerk in the middle of nowhere with a jet-lagged Scully waiting in the car.

"Fine. If there really aren't any adjoining rooms left, could we just get two separate rooms, any size beds?"

"What part of 'we only have one room available' are you confused about?" The clerk was a haggard, forty year old man who looked like he had seen more of the world than he would have cared to.

"The part where a ran down motel service in the middle of nowhere is completely booked up." Mulder snapped back, hours of driving making him more irritable than usual.

"Well, 'middle' is right. This right here is the exact middle of the landlocked United States. Tourists love that, and we are the only motel service in the area, for your information." The man was oddly proud of this, most likely incorrect information.

"I'll make sure to write home about it. Fine, I'll take the room." Putting up a fight required more effort than Mulder wanted to spend. The clerk turned to the cash register, typed some things in, and handed Mulder a printed copy of the receipt to sign.

Handling the rest of the transaction and offering a resentful 'thank you', Mulder made his way back out to the car to see Scully had just finished getting all their bags out and ready.

"Scully, they only had one room left, I'm so sorry."" He waited for the reprimand that never came.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's only for a night," before taking one of the keys and making her way to their room. Mulder was honestly a bit excited about the prospect of sharing a room with Scully. He felt like he knew her better than anyone, but some days she remained a total enigma.

He followed behind her diligently, his own bags in hand. He watched her move to open the door with an elegance he swore only she possessed. She bent down to set her bags on the ground while she tried to open the door, running an exhausted hand through her hair. She moved with an absolute fluidity that held him in a trace, the only thing able to pull him away was her terse voice sighing, "Really, Mulder?"

He quickly darted his gaze, worried he had been caught staring when he noticed her eyes skeptically glaring at something in the room. "What's wrong- _oh shit."_ Looking over her shoulder, he saw exactly what had set her off.

There was only one bed in the room. A queen.

He immediately cursed himself for not asking the clerk for clarification. He had just assumed it would have been implied that if he had wanted adjoining rooms in the first place, only having one bed may have been an issue. "Scully, I'm really sorry. I forgot to call in advance. I'll take the couch and you can have the bed." He offered, hoping she would accept his apology.

She slowly made her way into the room and took a quick look around before setting her stuff on the bed and putting her hands on her hips. "There is no couch, Mulder," she sighed.

"I can sleep in the car." His offer was met with a hearty eye-roll and a light chuckle.

"Don't be ridiculous. I promise I won't fondle you in your sleep if you promise me the same," she joked to make light of the adolescent awkwardness in the air.

Mulder felt like one of those old cartoon characters with their eyes bulging unrealistically out of their head. Scully, _his Scully,_ miss play-by-the-rules, just agreed to sleep in the same bed as him. Not only that, she was the one to suggest it of her own volition. To top it all off, she just lightly flirted with him.

"Okay. I promise you I won't fondle myself in my sleep," he joked back, earning a rare, toothy smile from Scully. "I also promise not to fondle you. Boy Scouts honor." To emphasize his point he placed one hand over his chest and raised the other hand in the air, fingers split in between the middle and ring finger."

She gave him an amused glance before adding, "Funny, I didn't know the Boy Scout motto was 'Live Long and Prosper."

"You didn't hear, they recently updated it. Wanted their message to apply across all galaxies."

"Ah, is that so." She was trying to repress her smile, but he saw it peeking through her eyes as she started removing her shoes. Without her heels, he was amused to note that the top of her head didn't even reach even with his shoulders. "So do you have a preference." Her meaning was lost on him and his face must have said so because she clarified, "Side of the bed. What side do you usually sleep on?"

He had temporarily forgotten about the fact that they were going to be sharing a bed tonight and the boyish nerves came back to him in full force. "Oh, um. Well usually I sleep on the couch, so I don't have a preference."

Grabbing her stuff, she started to move to the left side of the bed, farthest away from the bathroom and main doors. "I'll take window side then."

While Mulder started fiddling with his side, Scully started pulling her toiletries methodically out of her bag. "I was going to take a shower or did you want to go first?"

"Thanks for asking, but I took one this morning." She smiled in response and made her way to the bathroom.

For the next thirty minutes, Mulder tried desperately to focus on the television, willing himself to ignore the fact that Scully was less than ten feet away from him completely and utterly naked and wet. Okay he was _trying_ to ignore it, he didn't say he was succeeding. Any of his prior excitement had been dampened when it went from two beds to one.

On a surface level, Mulder as a hot-blooded male, could not help but appreciate the fact that his partner was absolutely beautiful. But it was more than that and he knew it. Pretending that his attraction was only physical belittled the validity of his intense feelings. He loved her, and he had for years. Having to pretend like sleeping in the same bed as her wasn't monumentally significant for his was going to be hard. Many things were going to be hard that night and he knew it.

He was distracted from is train of thought after he heard a muffled, "Goddamn it" come from the bathroom. Actually paying attention now, he realized that the shower had turned off and he didn't hear any sounds coming from the bathroom. Until he heard that same voice call out again, "Mulder?"

He was up in a second and briskly walked to the bathroom door. "Scully, is everything okay in there?"

Her disembodied voice came from behind the door, "Mulder, the shower curtain wasn't in all the way and the pyjamas I brought got soaked. Can you grab my duffel bag and hand it to me?"

He quickly grabbed what she asked and started bringing it to the door, which started opening before he was halfway across the room. He quickly snapped his eyes shut and took tentative steps towards where he thought the door was, holding the bag out in front of him in offering. "Here's your bag, Scully."

"Thank y- Mulder what are you doing?" He couldn't see from behind his lids but he heard the smile on her face.

"I wanted to respect your privacy." He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. As he was stepping forward, his hand gripping the bag hit the wall and he turned to his right when he heard her laugh.

He felt her damp hand grab the bag from his own. Before shutting the door he heard a pleased "What a gentleman."

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, he laid back down on the bed and smiled to himself. Weak as it may be, that may have just been the closest he would ever come to touching a half naked Scully and he was going to revel in it.

When she came out, Mulder was positive that she was trying to kill him. Drying her hair with a towel , inadvertently covering her face as she passed by him, he took in her outfit. Or lack thereof. She was wearing a purple tank top, _with no bra,_ and a pair of, what he could best describe as, black booty shorts. He knew this must have been the best she could do since her pyjamas were soaked, but her outfit was torture. In an attempt to look unaffected, he turned off his side lamp and nestled in, closing his eyes to avoid a stroke. He felt her do the same on her respective side and they gave brief 'goodnights'.

Mulder knew he would have problems falling asleep, he always did, but this was different. This was undiscovered Scully-territory. In the least creepy way possible, he wanted to take this opportunity to observe Scully with all her defenses down. For about thirty minutes, he heard her tossing and turning before her breathing inevitably evened out.

Knowing that she was asleep, he took the opportunity to look at her. When he did he felt his chest tighten. She was laying on her back with her face towards him, the comforter fallen down to her waist. Her full lips were slightly parted open and soft breaths were coming out. With each breath her tank top clad chest rose and fell. She had one hand draped across her exposed midriff and one resting parallel to his own. Her usually pristine hair was mussed all around her like a red halo. She looked so radiant, so ethereal, it made him want to cry.

He didn't recall falling asleep, but he woke up to the feeling of the bed dipping under her weight. With how dark it was in the room, he knew it was still in the middle of the night. In a sleep laden voice he murmured, "Scully, is everything alright."

He didn't get a response, but from her sloppy steps, he could tell she was still lightly in sleep's grasp. She trudged to the bathroom, blindly grabbing around to close the door. Mulder was trying to fall back asleep when he heard the door open and her starting to meander her way back. He was immediately wide awake when he felt her body fall painfully onto his.

Apparently it woke her up too, because she gasped and sat up straight from her haphazard perch on his chest, "Hello?"

Evidently, she forgot they were sharing a bed and plopped down without a second thought. "Scully, as much as I've always wanted you on top of me, I just got elbowed in the chest." His sentence came out as a wheeze and he tried to recover from the shock.

He saw her look around and connect the dots in her head. Even though the room was reliant on moonlight, he could see that she was blushing. "Oh my god, Mulder, I'm so sorry." She moved her palms to her side of the bed so she had leverage to move, her legs tantalizingly dragging over his body as she returned to her cocoon. All previous pain was subsided by another sensation.

"I've had worse experiences," he teased. They laid in silence for only a little while longer until they both succumbed to sleep.

He wasn't sure if he had actually woken up or if his dreams were just more vivid than usual. He bit the inside of his cheek and realized that, much to his pleasure, he was truly awake. Sometime during the night, Scully had snuggled into his arms.

Blinking his eyes to adjust to the morning light, he looked down and was met with Scully's sleeping face burrowing into his neck. Looking down, all he could really see were her eyelashes kissing her cheeks, fluttering in the grips of REM. Her defined nose was tickling his collarbones, and her hair was caressing his face and the arm she was using as a pillow. His other arm was currently laying on the curve of her waist, her tank top had ridden up so his forearm was pressed against her smooth skin.

He rested his head back down, not wanting to wake her, and inhaled the aroma of Scully that was currently embracing him. She was also, in the literal sense, embracing him. She had one arm sandwiched in between his own and his body, while her other was pressed in between their torsos, her palm resting gently on his chest.

He froze slightly when she started to stir, making adorable sleepy sounds, but was relieved when she went limp again, nuzzling impossibly closer to him. Their knees were touching now and it was the most intimate thing Mulder could ever remember experiencing before.

If it were up to him, they would never leave this bed. This, in the purest sense, was completely and utterly luxurious. He would do anything in his power to keep Dana Katherine Scully in his arms, and the smile on her face when she woke up told him that the sentiment was mutual.

 **Please let me know if you like it! Thank you so much for your time! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	13. Memorable

**Author's note: Hello everyone! Hope all is well. I really, really appreciate everyone who has given me feedback, I know I say that all the time, but it truly motivates me. Hope you enjoy!**

Memorable: (adjective) worth remembering or easily remembered, especially because of being special or unusual.

For years, they had evaded it. Scully would suddenly get 'sick', Mulder would find a case, they would take an unexpected detour, whatever the excuse may have been at the time; but now, after six years, they had to attend the mandatory, partner 'team building' seminar.

They had been called into Skinner's office last week and were told that there was no escaping it. Skinner sat across from them, separated by the mahogany table Scully had spend years looking at while being reamed out, and he was poorly hiding his amusement.

"I don't know how you both managed to put this off for the entire duration of your partnership. Do I need to remind you what the word _mandatory_ means?" He asked, years of commitment lessening the harshness of his voice.

As per usual, Mulder had to chime in, "Well, sir, we thought that since we have the highest solve rate at the bureau, may I remind you our focus is in unsolvable crimes, that we may serve as a perfect example that _not_ doing the seminar is more effective."

"Oh, and all this time I had no idea your intentions were so altruistic," Skinner teased. He took a long glance at Mulder and Scully's pleasing expressions before rubbing a head over his head, "Look, if you guys can just attend the first day, just one full day, I can call you back on a case and you can get back to work. I'll make sure to mark it in the file that you attended, and then maybe you can start a new streak."

"Thank you so much, sir. We truly appreciate this. I'll make sure that we're on time and participatory," Scully beamed gratefully, sending a pointed glance at Mulder while saying the last words.

As he let out a soft chuckle, Skinner muttered, "That's what I'm counting on." Before leaving, Skinner requested they kept this arrangement between the three of them and they readily agreed, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Aside from fleeting smirks, they didn't communicate until they were in the privacy of their office. Closing the door behind them, Mulder teased, "He only did that because he likes you, you know that right?"

If Scully had a dollar for every time Mulder had joked about that throughout the years, she would never have to work another day in her life. Letting out an amused, exasperated sigh, she reminded him, "Mulder, for the hundredth time, you are delusional. Skinner just appreciates that I can get you to behave."

She looked up to see him regarding her with a thoughtful expression. He had been doing that more lately, or maybe, she had just started noticing it more. Times when she checked to see why he hadn't responded to a question, when she caught his reflection in the mirror, when she opened her eyes on an airplane after a nap; for the split second, before he had a chance to turn away, she caught him looking at her with a look of absolute _adoration._ The word felt heavy in her mind, but it was the only one she felt accurately described the way his eyes were swimming with emotions unsaid. What surprised her most was that it didn't make her feel uncomfortable, in fact, she cherished the moments she got to see the man behind the jokes and levity.

"Earth to Scully?" She jumped at the hand waving in front of her face and felt herself blush in embarrassment at having him catch her in such a personal moment. Ironically what she had just been reflecting on doing to him.

"I'm sorry, what?" She tried to sound collected.

"I asked where this shindig is taking place this year," he smirked. He always enjoyed seeing her get flustered, hence all the constant innuendos and invading of personal space. After having to, embarrassingly, call Skinner to get the vital information they had completely forgotten, they finished up the day's work and agreed to meet at the D.C. lecture hall tomorrow.

In usual Scully-fashion, she was there far too early. It didn't start until 9am, and she had arrived forty-five minutes early. She had decided to read a book she had brought with her to kill time in the empty lecture hall until a guy from the Violent Crimes Unit, whose name she still couldn't remember even though he had just said it, decided to talk her ear off. She had been sitting and listening to his tawdry attempts at flirtation for a solid half hour, the other half of his partnership glaring at them from a few rows up.

"So, Dana, enough about me. What's a beautiful woman like you doing in the FBI basement?" He asked this while making a move to rest his arm on the back of her chair.

Glancing back at his arm with undisguised contempt, she moved up in her chair to avoid any touching. "Working," she answered curtly. He wasn't the first man at the FBI to think that dissing 'Spooky Mulder' would somehow win her over. As if her assignment was so draining and ridiculous, that the first chance at 'normalcy' would have her swooning. It pissed her off.

"But, I mean, come on. You can't tell me that dealing with _him_ isn't emotionally draining."Scully wouldn't necessarily call herself possessive, protective was probably a better word, but while she had tolerated comments like these six years ago, she had no sympathy for them now.

"Mulder has taught me things throughout the years that you will never begin to understand. And, 'dealing with him', as you so rudely put it, has never been a fraction as emotionally draining as this conversation." Subtlety had never been her strong suit.

Apparently common sense had never been his. He leaned further into his chair, uncomfortably invading her personal space, and leaned his face close to hers. Not lowering his voice, he leered, "Well if you want to come with me after this, I can teach you a few things too."

She turned to glare at him and saw he was doing a lecherous sweep of her body, when he looked back to her face she saw him lick his lips. She was temporarily stunned at the versatility of man; yesterday Mulder was starting at her like she was Aphrodite incarnated, and less than twenty four hours later, this man was looking at her like a piece of meat. Before she could open her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, Mulder's unexpected, terse voice broke the tension, "That's funny, last I checked Scully was my partner, not yours. Also, as far as I was aware, she's more than capable of sitting in a chair without your assistance." Though his words were joking, his tone held nothing but contempt, punctuating his sentence by swatting the man's hand off the back of her chair.

Scully would never admit to this for as long as she lived, but every time Mulder defended her honor, for lack of a better term, it absolutely thrilled her. Mulder was a sweet guy, she had seen him protect countless other women when he saw men getting too pushy, but in those circumstances he seemed just aggravated with the offender. On the occasions when she was the one being made uncomfortable, he would get irate.

The VCU guy looked more offended at the fact he was being forced to leave than Mulder's threatening tone. "Well hey there Spooky. Dana and I were just bonding since you left her all alone." He said her name like a taunt, dangling the fabricated familiarity he felt they shared in front of Mulder.

"Oh, bonding, is that what they call it now? Last time I checked it was known as harassment," Mulder taunted, earning an amused chuckle from Scully.

Before the man had a chance to respond, his partner had come over in a flurry and dragged him away, muttering that 'he always pulled these stunts'. Mulder sat in the newly emptied chair and gave Scully an empathetic grin. "Sorry about that."

She felt her brows furrow, "You have nothing to be sorry about. He just couldn't take a hint. I'm glad you came."

He gave her a half smile in response. "I actually got here a few minutes ago. I'm sorry that you get teased about your association to me. I appreciate what you said, when you were defending me." He wasn't looking at her, the telltale sign of his self conscious nature peaking through.

She laid a hand on top of his fidgeting ones to get his attention. "Mulder, it doesn't bother me, and I didn't say anything I didn't mean." He smiled one of his rare, shy smiles, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the overly eager seminar leader had started.

The bubbly woman announced that, before the day's lectures began, she was going to pass around a questionnaire for all the partners to interview each other with. "They key is H.O.N.E.S.T.Y. it may be embarrassing, it may open you both up to conversations you haven't had, but the whole point is to learn new things about one another." The seminar had only started five minutes ago and Mulder and Scully were already making jokes in their seats at the far back of the lecture hall.

The room had already filled with chatter by the time they got their forms. They rearranged their chairs so that they were knee to knee and looking at each other. Amused grins spreading across their faces. Mulder spoke up first. "So we just read the questions and we both respond to it?"

"Yep," she answered, eager to see how ridiculous this was going to be. Looking down at her form, she was actually eager to hear what Mulder's answer would be. "Question one, What was your first impression of your partner."

He raised an eyebrow, "I have to go first?" Prompted by her head nod he mused over the question for a moment. "First impression upon first introductions or first initial impression?"

Scully was a bit thrown and her curiosity was heightened even more. "Both."

He pondered a moment more before answering. "Well, when I first heard you were assigned to the X-Files, I did some thorough research on you. I thought your background was impressive, to make an understatement. I was enamored with the fact you became a medical doctor before joining the FBI," he paused to grin, "And your thesis was honestly a really interesting and fascinating read."

His blunt honesty was taking her by surprise, she would have assumed that he would have played this off as a joke, like he usually did. Then it dawned on her; he was answering honestly because he wanted her to do the same when it was her turn. He wanted to hear her true feelings towards him, and it warmed her heart.

"When you first came into the office, I was honest, I just presumed you were there to spy on me. I wanted to put you off a bit because I didn't want to like you just to be disappointed when you left. Don't pout at me," he started chuckling at her. She didn't realize she was doing it, but what he said made her feel a little sad at the realization that probably had happened to him before, that she was actually pouting. "Anyhow, I appreciated your dedication to finding the truth, and that was my first impression. Your turn."

She didn't need to take anytime to think, the first time they met was extremely memorable to her, she could recall it in vivid detail. "Well, I had known you by reputation, and, as you already know, I was sent down there to debunk you. However, I also did my research on you and was impressed with what I found. Your credentials are extraordinary." She paused when she was him repress a smile. Taking a deep breath, she decided to be completely and utterly honest. "When I first met you, I thought you were really cute."

She grinned in satisfaction when she saw his eyes widen in shock. "W-what?"

"I remember coming home from our first case and I told my friends and my mother how cute I thought you were. I also mentioned that I thought you were a bit arrogant, well-intended, but arrogant. I presume that's why my mom teases us as much as she does, every time she sees you, she probably just remembers my initial comment." She felt herself blushing, but it was well worth it to see the same happening to Mulder.

She heard him mumble something and she had to ask him to speak up. "I said, I thought you were hot. I didn't tell anyone and I didn't want to come across as demeaning, but, yeah. That was also a heavy component of my first impression."

She returned his shy smile before quickly scanning the partners around them, making sure no one was eavesdropping. Satisfied that all the other partners were engrossed in their own, probably less exposing, answers, she cleared her throat and moved on. "Question two, name three odd things you have observed about your partner in your time together."

Without skipping a beat, Mulder answered. "One; I could tell when you started trusting me because you would fall asleep on me anytime an opportunity presented itself, car, plane, whatever. Which I honestly found very intimate, you entrusting me to watch over you. Two; family is very important to you. Three; you have a serious talent for running in dangerous footwear." His last 'observation' made her laugh in amusement. When she was done he leaned back cockily in his chair and motioned for her to take the floor.

She paused a moment before answering. "One; when you care about someone you dedicate yourself wholly to them," she left her answer to be ambiguous. At face value, it could be assumed she was just referring to Samantha, but from the sly smile on his face she knew he understood she was also referring to herself. "Two; you have an oral fixation. Three; you've turned throwing pencils into an art form." She isn't sure if he even heard the third remark because as soon as number two left her mouth he was sitting up in his chair ready to question her.

"Oral fixation?"

"Oh come on, Mulder. The sunflower seeds, the nail biting, the pencil chewing. You love having something in your mouth to play with." Before the words even left her mouth her cheeks were set on fire. Not even looking at him, but feeling his delighted stare, she moved onto the next question. "Question three, what is one thing you want your partner to know."

She looked up to meet his face and saw all amusement had been eclipsed with an expression of intent focus and severity. "I want my partner to know that I trust her implicitly and that she should never question that."

Scully felt her eyebrow cock, slightly taken aback by his answer. She met his tone, "Mulder, I already know that, I promise. Have I made you doubt that?"

He immediately shook his head to qualm her worry, "No-no, I just sometimes think back to that one case, ya know, the one where the TV made you paranoid and succumb to your greatest fear. Yours was that I betrayed you. I just want to reiterate that that will never be something you'll have to worry about."

She felt her chest tighten at his declaration. For the past year, they had become fluent in the art of saying 'I love you' in disguise. It was something they danced around, but they were both painfully aware of, but were too nervous to say out in the open. He actually said the words once, but she had been to scared the drugs were talking instead of him, that she dismissed him. She didn't have the courage yet, but she could keep dancing.

"Do you remember the case a few months ago when you were on that boat and we found you out at sea?" Taken by surprise at the abrupt topic shift, he just nodded in affirmation.

"If there is one thing I want my partner to know, it would be that after we found you, remember when you were in the hospital bed?" Another nod. "Remember what you said to me?" An embarrassed nod. "I want my partner to know that the sentiment is reciprocated."

Usually when someone describes absolute elation, they describe a kid on Christmas morning. That kid had nothing on the smile Mulder was giving her right now. She had never quite seen a man with such a light in his eyes, he was smiling so hard, she was afraid his face would crack. He made a guttural sigh that was somewhere between a laugh and a sound of relief.

He must have seen on her face that it took a lot of courage to be so blunt, he teased her a little to add some levity. _Always so thoughtful._ "And you decide to finally tell me during an office-mandated, team building seminar?"

"In my defense, you told me in a dimly-lit hospital room under the influence of heavy narcotics," she teased back.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the chipper seminar leader decided to resume her lecture, yet again at an inconvenient time. They swiveled their chairs back and pretended to pay attention to what the woman was saying. In reality, they just took turns glancing at one another, drunk off of the new found revelation. A few times their eyes met and they couldn't keep the smiles from leeching onto their faces. Scully felt elated in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

 _Mulder loves her._

 **This was the longest one yet! I got a lot of ideas while writing and I wanted to include them. This chapter marks the halfway point in this series, and tonight marks the halfway point in Season 11! I'm a little sad at how fast it's passing, but I'm so happy I've gotten to experience it with all of you in the fandom. I swear to god, this episode looks kind of angsty, but Mulder, Scully, and William better reunite as a happy FAMILY BY THE END OF THE SERIES. I digress. Please, please leave a review. I adore you all! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	14. Natural

**Author's Note: Wow! You all are so sweet! Thank you for the feedback. Happy Wednesday, where The X-Files is on but I'm stuck at work, so I write fanfiction to pass the time, lol. Okay so I saw a scene from tonight's episode with Scully in the morgue and this episode looks heartbreaking, oh my god. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Also, I'm really taking liberties with the Hoover Building, just go with it, lol.**

Natural: (adjective) having an essential relation with someone or something.

Mulder had to admit, avoiding FBI mandated responsibilities was his strong suit. However, he couldn't take credit for this one, Mulder didn't even know they still _required_ the physical fitness test. Being the fact Scully also hadn't done hers, he figured someone just wanted an excuse to get them out of the field temporarily.

"Sir, this is ridiculous. Mulder and I have clean bills of health and we haven't had any physical impairments." He knew Scully was on the same page he was and she was reluctant to accept this at face value.

They had been called up to the health office only to be met with the world's most unfriendly physician. "Look, Miss Scully. It's required every five years, and you both are simply overdue. There's no getting around it. Until those documents are turned in, you can't enter the line of duty. You can go to the designated area and get it taken care of by the end of the day."

As soon as "Miss Scully" left that poor man's mouth, Mulder knew he was about to get an earful. "Doctor Scully, and fine, but let it be know that it is completely unprofessional that we were not given any sort of advanced notice. We will get the documents back to you, but I expect you run your office more efficiently in the future." He mentally cheered, but kept a stern look on his face to back her up in solidarity. She quickly stood up and stormed out of the office and he followed behind her dutifully.

"There's nothing I enjoy more than the wrath of Doctor Scully," he joked as they made their way to the fitness field.

"Call me crazy, but I think if you're telling someone to get a physical exam for the FBI, knowing their title is 'agent' is common sense, that was just disrespectful." He could tell she was slightly embarrassed by her outburst, but there was a pride in her step that he couldn't help but notice. As polite and thoughtful as she may be, Dana Scully loved to crack the whip every now and then.

"So, what do we have to do for the exam?" He asked, not remembering the last time he did it.

"As far as I'm aware, they time how far you can run in a mile. There's also an obstacle course component thrown in." They rounded the corner and went to the gymnasium/outdoor section of the hoover building neither of them had been to in years.

They went to the front desk, told them what they needed to do, and were given a set of FBI sweats and tennis shoes. Mulder laughed a little at how Scully's tiny shoes made him look like Sasquatch. "So the most important part is signalling to the staff at the beginning of the track when you begin, and running to them when you finish the course so they can get your vitals. Other than that you're good to go," the woman at the counter informed them. They passed a fleeting glance before going to the locker rooms and meeting back out on the field.

"Do you want to race or go through this as a team?" He asked as soon as they were close enough. Mulder held back a chuckle at how short Scully was without her heels. If they were chest-to-chest she would have to completely crane her neck up towards the sky to look at him.

"I'm really fast, Mulder, I run every day." The playful glint in her eyes told him that she was baiting him.

"Oh is that a challenge?" He asked.

"Only if you want it to be." She was fully smiling by now.

"You're so on. Loser has to buy the winner dinner." Mulder knew he was taking a risk, it sounded like an offer for a date, but he wanted to see if she'd agree. After all, it was under the guise of a friendly bet.

He patted himself on the back when she put out her hand, "You're on." He shook her hand and made their way to the starting line.

As they were being counted down, Mulder turned to her and teased, "Hope your little legs can keep up." Before she had a chance to respond, they were running. Mulder was already impressed, what he had in leg span she made up for in lightness.

For a while they switched on and off; sometimes Mulder was in the lead, other times Scully was, but about a third of a mile in, Scully got the lead and kept it. He lost sight of her for a long while. The track and obstacle course were an outdoor event since it would add some difficulty and the Bureau wouldn't have to invest in as much equipment, instead relying on the terrain of the forest. As soon as the dense trees started, she dissolved into her surroundings. It wasn't until the obstacle part started that he caught up.

There were five ropes, high off the ground, that were tied to something on top of a fifteen foot dirt wall, leading up to a continued path once you got up. He presumed the ropes weren't always that high, there was probably some erosion because from rain, or maybe the FBI really just wanted you to use your resources.

Regardless, when he was about twenty five feet away, he caught Scully trying to jump up and down, hands above her head, trying to get a grip on the rope. When he got closer, he just stood there and watched. He had to say, it was pretty impressive how high she could jump off the ground, she even tried to jump and kick off of the wall to get some bonus height, but to no avail, Scully was too short to reach.

She was about to jump again when she caught sight of him, her face was flushed from the running, but her knew there was some new embarrassment added in. She stopped jumping and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. He couldn't hold back his laughter, the whole thing was just, for lack of a better word, adorable.

"Ha-ha, so funny, make fun of my height impairment." She was trying to scold him, but it just added to the humor of the situation.

He took a few steps closer, so he could actually see her. Of course Scully would look stunning after running and exerting herself. Her cheeks were a dusty rose, and her forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He was captivated when a bead ran from her hairline down her temple, and how full her parted lips looked with the soft pants coming out. He realized he was gawking at her and quickly spoke up to offer assistance. "Here, let me help you."

She sighed, but accepted. "Okay, if you just want to get on a knee and boost me up I - Mulder!" He hadn't really been listening to her suggestion. He had bent down, wrapped one arm around the backs of her knees, so that her butt was on his shoulder, and lifted her up into the air, using his other hand to act as a support along her back.

It must have really took her by surprise, because she was immediately leaning heavily into him, she was leaned over so that her breasts were smashed into the side of his head, and her hands were gripping the other side. Though the position was awkward, they still fit together as if it was the most natural thing in the world. From this position, he could hear how fast and loud her heart was beating. "I think you're supposed to be grabbing the _rope_ Scully," he laughed.

"Please don't drop me Mulder, I swear to god." She was chuckling too, but he could tell she wasn't the biggest fan of heights from the way her fist tightened in his hair.

"I promise, I would never Scully," sincerity dominated his voice as he squeezed her lightly, proving his grip. He felt her move upright again and when she told him she had the rope, he let go.

Taking a few steps back, he saw she was able to grab a good way up, there was about a foot under her, but her feet were still dangling like a doll. "Do you need me to boost your feet up?" He made a move to do so when she shook her head.

"No, I got it from here, thank you." He took a step back, wanting to see how she was going to attempt this when his eyes shot out of his head. Scully, for the most part, climbed the rope without using her lower body. He knew she was pretty strong, but this was a display of upper body strength that he never would have guessed. He whistled in appreciation, and heard her chuckle in response.

He moved to another one of the ropes and started his, less impressive, journey up. He ended up with the rope sandwiched between his legs and he scooted all the way up inch by inch. When he climbed to the top, much to his surprise but also to his delight, Scully was waiting for him and she looked to be on the verge of bursting out laughing. "You looked like a caterpillar," she giggled.

"Actually, after this, instead of dinner, I vote we go for a massage. I think the muscles in my arms are in shambles," he joked, rubbing up and down the length of his arms with shaking, rope burned hands.

He felt all the breath leave his lungs at her reply, "Beat me and I'll give you a massage before dinner." He looked at her face and noticed a mixture of jovality but sincerity, and he immediately started running, only offering a shouted "You're on." He would have loved the opportunity to see her in her flushed glory right then, but he had a race to win.

He knew he only had a quarter mile left, and, to the beat of his footsteps, he repeated a mantra in his head; _slow and steady wins the race, but fast and desperate wins the Scully._ By the time he saw the thick white line in the distance, his legs were burning and he was gulping in air like a fish out of water. In the back of his mind he heard Scully running relatively close to him, but he couldn't risk turning and risking a look.

He practically threw himself over the finish line and nearly collapsed at the sudden halt of momentum. Turning, he saw Scully right next to him, heart over her chest, panting about just as loudly as he was. He hadn't even heard the medics come over until their statistics were being taken. It only took about a minute before they were told they were good to go, as the people were walking away, Mulder called out breathlessly, "Hey! What were our times?"

One of the women turned back with a beaming smile, "Not only did you two have the fastest times yet at the Bureau, you've been our first ever tie! You guys clocked eight minutes and forty seconds."

Once the women were out of earshot, Mulder turned to Scully. "What happens in a tie?"

Scully looked up at him, still catching her breath, with a mischievous smile on her lips. "Well, my arms are in pain too, so are my legs now. I guess we'll have to help each other. You choose before or after dinner, I'll choose where we eat."

With that, Scully walked off the field to change, leaving Mulder completely stunned with a goofy grin on her face. _Of course I would be the one to try to instigate this as a date and, naturally, Scully would be the one to pull out the surprises._

He chuckled happily to himself as he wobbled to the locker rooms.

 **Hope you enjoyed that one, I don't think it was one of the strongest. I just wanted to play with their height differences. Please leave a review if you have a chance! I love hearing what you like and want to see, I want to give you what you want to read :) -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	15. Obvious

**Author's Note: I am thrilled from episode five. That one scene was sad, but knowing the full context helped. God, the last scene still has me crying. I don't want to spoil anything, but holy shit that was so good. Anyway, hope you enjoy! I'm excited to write this one.**

Obvious: (adjective) easily perceived or understood; clear, self-evident, or apparent.

From years of working together, Scully had developed a keen sense of knowing when Mulder was up to something, and a nervous Mulder was always a sign that he was scared to tell her something. When she came into the office that morning, he was nicer than normal. He greeted her, he pulled out her chair for her, and he even had bought her a coffee. In all honesty, when he was nervous, he acted like a loyal puppy dog.

She was content in allowing it to go on for a while, it was nice having him dote on her, but she noticed he was practically gnawing a hole in his lip and she decided to put him out of his misery. "Is everything okay, Mulder?"

He glanced at her before casting his eyes downward yet again. "Um, yeah. It's just-Scully, Do you remember when you said you'd come with me to my high school reunion?"

"Yes, it's tomorrow right?" she answered, not knowing where he was going with this or why he would be getting nervous.

He nodded, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck, "Yeah, um. I accidentally made a mistake when I sent in my confirmation." At her raised eyebrow he pleaded, "promise you won't get mad?"

"I promise to react accordingly."

This didn't comfort him, but he continued nonetheless, "When I sent the confirmation in the mail, I didn't notice that I filled your name under the spouse section. Apparently word still travels fast for a bunch of rich people with too much time on their hands, so they made a big deal out of it and I was too embarrassed to correct them when they called to give me the time." It rushed out his mouth Scully had a hard time following. When she she fully took in what he had just said, she was still a little confused.

"Why did they make such a big deal about it?" She didn't understand what about the prospect of Mulder being married came to such a shock for these people.

He opened his mouth but closed it almost immediately. She watched him search for phrasing. Mulder was never at a loss for words, so Scully figured this was something he didn't like to share, so she didn't tease him. She just waited until he continued, "They had a nickname for me in highschool, the 'Lone Fox', ya know, a play on the lone wolf. I was basically the same way I am now, but in a dweeby teenage body. They told me they never expected I'd find anyone to put up with me." He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, trying to brush off how much this truly bothered him.

It bothered Scully too. Mulder was the kindest and most thoughtful man she had ever met. He never talked much about his adolescence, but she had found out enough over the years to know it wasn't pleasant. She knew after the abduction, both his parents treated him like it was his fault, one purposefully, the other a bit more subtle. Knowing that he couldn't even escape that negative attention at school upset her. The thought of a young Mulder, eating alone, not having anyone care about his fantastic theories or listening to his witty jokes. It didn't just make her sad, it infuriated her. She knew he had perfected the art of hiding his self-doubt and insecurities behind a mask of confidence, but she had been under that mask for a long time now. Secrets weren't their thing.

"I'll be your wife," both their eyes widened at her bluntness and she quickly added, "-for the reunion, I'll play wife. I don't think they deserve you, so lets rub your happiness and success in their faces." Scully felt butterflies in her stomach at the realization of what they were about to do, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel excited. Being close to Mulder for hours on end had a definite appeal. From the way he was grinning, the sentiment was shared.

"Really Scully? I don't want to make you feel obligated-" he already started trying to give her an out, but she cut him off.

"Nonsense. I have my grandparents rings we can use. We'll just have to play lovey-dovey tomorrow and I'm sure it will be believable." She honestly couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. This was so out of character for her. She just hated when Mulder doubted himself. She also didn't want them to go and hear him be made fun of. He already was insecure, but this would just be his old peers rubbing his loneliness in his face.

"Thank you, Scully. I really appreciate this." She gently nodded, and they resumed their work in an attempt to pretend like they didn't just make a huge commitment, however farcical it may be.

The next day at work was the same. They both interacted the same as normal, continued their banter, but there was an undercurrent of excitement fueling the office. Before they left, Mulder told her he'd pick her up at seven, and she rushed home to get ready.

Her own class reunion wasn't for a few more years, and she had never actually been to one before. She didn't really know what the proper attire was, but she knew he grew up in Martha's Vineyard so she figured it would be better to go a little fancier than she normally would. She had an emerald green cocktail dress that her mother had convinced her to buy, insisting that it brought out her eyes and complimented her hair. She put on black nylons before putting on the dress. It came to about mid-thigh, and was made of a thick velvet. The upper portion was off the shoulders and had long sleeves. Her favorite part though was the back, which was made entirely of black see-through lace. There was no way she could wear a bra with it, but the velvet in the front was thick enough that she wasn't worried about anything poking through. Looking in the mirror she couldn't help but smile, she looked hot.

She made her way to the bathroom and spent a generous amount of time applying, removing, and reapplying her makeup. It was never her strong suit, but she wanted to look good. She felt silly, but she wanted to woo Mulder, not that she was going to try anything, but a little bit of Mulder-attention was always welcomed. Especially tonight when they were going to be masquerading as a couple. Eventually, she achieved a good smokey eye, it was relatively tame, but it really accentuated her eyes. She had taken a shower earlier in the morning, so her natural curlier hair was present, and she decided to let it be. She remembered once Mulder came into her room when they were at a motel after her hair had dried from a shower. She was taken aback when he took a strand of her hair between his fingers and mumbled that it looked really good this way.

With his usual, uncanny perfect timing, Mulder knocked on the door as soon as she was ready. She padded to the door and opened it in a grand sweep. She knew she had been successful based on the look on his face. He whispered a shy greeting, but he couldn't pull his eyes from raking over her body appreciatively. She didn't mind, because she was doing the same thing to him. Mulder always wore nice suits, but this was exceptional. He looked sleek and clean in his rich black suit and she grinned when she saw an emerald green pocket square sticking out of his pocket. _Always in sync, even unintentionally._

She met his eyes and blushed to see he had just been watching her ravish him with her eyes. She turned around and started walking into her apartment to get the heels that matched the dress, purposefully giving him a show to reveal her sheer, exposed back. She bit her lip to suppress a grin when she heard him intake a sharp breath. He tried to cover it up by clearing his throat and offering a sincere, "You look stunning, Scully."

She slipped on her shoes and turned around to face him and she felt her breath catch in her throat at the look of pure adoration in his eyes. She chuckled off her shyness and replied, "You don't look so bad yourself." A quick realization had her walking back into her bedroom, shouting over her shoulder, "Wait right there okay?" She went to her vanity and took the rings from off the counter. Her grandparents had left the rings to her, she was always their favorite, but she had never had any use for them until now.

Returning to the living room, she caught Mulder looking at the photos on her mantle; a family photo, one of her with her childhood pet, and, embarrassingly, one that had been given to her by the crime lab of her and Mulder. Of course, that was the one he was focused on, she had never told him that she had it. Pointing to it he asked, "What's this?"

She started shyly, "Oh, the crime lab accidentally took that on a scene, and since it was actually a pretty good picture, they asked if I wanted to keep it." The photo was of Mulder looking down at her as if she was the most important thing in the world, and her head was thrown back in laughter. Honestly she didn't remember what he had said to her in a middle of a crime scene that she found so funny, but it was a really touching photo.

He nodded at her explanation and smiled back at the shot, taking as much enjoyment from it that she did. While he was distracted, she took his left hand from his hip, uncurled the fingers, and gently slid the ring on his finger. "A perfect fit!" She had honestly been a little worried about that. Glancing up she saw a surprised smile on his face, and she realized how intimate that had just been, she noticed she was still holding Mulder's hand and she quickly let go in embarassment.

They left the apartment shortly after and made it to the resort in good time, she asked Mulder why the class reunion wasn't being held at the school, let alone the correct state, and Mulder just said that they wanted as much attention as possible, which is why it was in the capital of the United States, at the most important venue possible. Walking in, Mulder's descriptions of these people immediately fit. The ballroom was filled with people who looked like they _loved_ being upper class. She was stunned that Mulder had grown up in this type of environment.

She heard a shrill woman scream 'Fox', and she felt Mulder's hand slip around her waist, rubbing his thumb into the textured fabric. He bent down to whisper in her ear, "You ready for this, _honey?"_ She could hear the amusement at the term of endearment lacing his voice.

She looked up at him, batting her lashes, and responded, "Always have been, _sweetheart._ "

He smiled down at her when a bleach-blonde woman finished running up to them, speaking in a ridiculously squeaky voice, "Oh my god, Fox! We all just assumed you wouldn't come! Is this your wife?"

"Hello, Lanie. I sent in a confirmation didn't I? But yes, this is my wife, Dana." Scully smiled at the use of her first name. While she loved that he was the only person that called her just 'Scully', it was almost like a nickname exclusively for him to use, it was nice hearing him say her first name. It was intimate. It made her feel like he was recognizing her as a woman when he did it.

The woman, apparently named Lanie, turned her full attention to Scully. "Wow, you're absolutely stunning! Fox was a total geeky loner in high school, we always thought he'd die alone, we never imagined the possibility a woman, let alone one as attractive as yourself, would want to be with him." The bitch said this all with a, what she probably thought to be sympathetic, smile on her face.

It took every ounce of Scully's willpower not to drop her jaw in shock. She could not believe the audacity of the woman in front of her. What really threw Scully was that she said it as if Scully was going to agree with her. She tightened her grip around Mulder before replying with a phony smile, "Oh, well my husband's an absolutely brilliant individual. It takes one to know one which is probably why he didn't have many acquaintances here." She knew being so rude off the bat probably wasn't the best thing to do, but with the way the woman beamed at her, her comment wasn't wrong. She turned to Mulder and saw pure amusement dancing across his face.

"Oh my god, you guys are so sweet together," the naive girl squealed. She quickly reached into her purse and put two name tags onto Mulder and Scully's corresponding chests. She took a glance on hers and was charmed to see that it read 'Dana Mulder'. She saw on Mulder's face that he really enjoyed it as well.

The woman left them to their own devices almost immediately after, simply directing them to the refreshments. They meandered their way over while Mulder casually shared what he knew about people as they passed by. When they got to the punch bowl, Mulder scooped a hearty amount into a glass on the table while Scully grabbed a complimentary water. They took a seat at a table in the corner and enjoyed the rare time they got to share together, Mulder getting up to refill their respective glasses a few times within an hour period.

She noticed something was off around the fourth time he came back to the table. He accidentally bumped into it with uncharacteristic clumsiness, then muttered a quick "Pardon Me."

Scully raised her eyebrow, "Did you just say pardon me to an inanimate object?" Mulder looked at her and shrugged, a bemused expression on his face. Scully, on a hunch, grabbed his glass and took a drink. Her suspicions were immediately confirmed. "Mulder, did you know your drink has alcohol in it?"

He shook his head with a little more lag than normal, "No, Scully, that's punch."

Scully laughed a little bit at her now-drunk partner. For as long as she knew him, Mulder didn't drink. She didn't pry, but she had always presumed it was due to the fact his father drank in excess and wasn't always the kindest. She supposed that, since the drink was mixed so well, he didn't recognize it.

"Yeah, it is punch, but punch with an egregious amount of vodka in it." His mouth made a little 'o' and she couldn't help but laugh. He was a little more talkative than usual, but she guessed she was too distracted by their closeness to pick up on the fact he was getting drunk. She couldn't lie, she was a bit excited about seeing what he was like.

Before they could continue, a tall, pudgy man around Mulder's age came to their table. "Fox! Long time no see. I see you brought the wife."

She took a look at Mulder and saw his eyes light up as if he had forgotten their little charade. Scooting his chair a little closer to hers, wrapping his arm ungracefully around her shoulder, he exclaimed, "Yes I did! This is my wife, Dana Mulder." He placed the hand, not around her arm, over her hands on the table, slipping his hand in between to take hold of her left hand.

The man smiled at Scully politely, "Nice to meet you, Dana, my name's Matthew. You look very lovely tonight."

Before she could reply, Mulder beat her to it enthusiastically, "Isn't she? I don't know how I got so lucky. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met." He kissed her cheek for emphasis and she didn't know if she was blushing at the contact or his words.

Matthew, who was quickly becoming Scully's favorite classmate of Mulder's, smiled at the display of affection. "Happiness looks good on you, Fox. I'll leave you two be, got to get back to my special lady." He waved a quick goodbye, and they were left alone once again.

"You know that, right?" Mulder said unprompted.

"Know what?" Scully was confused by his meaning.

"That you're absolutely gorgeous." She blushed at his words and avoided his gaze, but that just prompted him to continue. "You're so cute when you blush, but regardless, I'm not just saying that you're gorgeous because you're dressed up so elegantly right now, I think that all the time." His words weren't slurred, but they lacked his usual eloquence, giving away his drunken state.

Throwing him a bone, she responded with a shy, "That's very nice of you to say. Thank you, Mulder."

"I know it's just pretend, but I'm so happy you're my wife right now," He was smiling from ear to ear, giving her the same look as he did in the photograph on her mantle. He was gently tracing his name attached to her own on the name tag on her upper breast. She couldn't help but chuckle at the fact Mulder was acting like a drunk college girl; absolutely complementary and enthusiastic.

"Me too," she said it so softly she assumed he wouldn't hear, but of course nothing ever got past Mulder.

"I wish it wasn't pretend. Thank you for coming with me, I love spending time with you," he mumbled, taking a drink from her water after the words left his mouth.

Mulder always had a way with expressing those sentiments to her, but never so openly. She would be lying if she said it wasn't extremely flattering. She couldn't help but fear that it was the alcohol talking and that he might regret saying it later, so she didn't want to reveal how much this meant to her. At least, not to the full extent.

She was immediately distracted when Mulder abruptly stood up and declared, "I want to dance with you." Laughing, Scully decided to indulge him, taking his hand and following him to the dance floor.

She couldn't place the name of the song that was playing, but it was slow and smooth. Mulder held onto one of her hands while the other wrapped around her hip, going to far back as to rest on the small of her back, pressing her to him. Scully smiled and rested her arm over his shoulder. For being drunk, Mulder's dancing was pretty impressive, though it was more like closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his heart beating in his chest, relishing this, normally forbidden, moment of closeness. She felt completely embraced in all the senses with Mulder, specifically, she was enjoying the smell of his cologne and feeling his hands on her body. Scully could feel movement happening on her back, and she realized that he was playing with the lace back of the dress. She was amused when he rubbed a line across where her bra would have been, if she had been wearing one. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered, "You nearly killed me with this dress."

Grinning, she responded honestly, "Good, that was my intention." This earned her another full-watt Mulder smile.

They continued swaying for a few more songs before she noticed Mulder was getting a little tired. She realized it because he started resting his cheek atop her head like she was a pillow. She might have assumed that he had fallen asleep if he wasn't still dancing.

She was further reassured he was awake when she heard him mumble into her hair, stating the obvious, "I love you so much, and I will be your husband someday."

She felt tears well up in her eyes and a smile break out across her face at the determination in his voice. She squeezed him around the middle before mumbling into his chest, "I'm sure you will."

 **Hope you liked it! Lol, I totally forgot his high school was actually stated away, so sorry for the half assed explanation. Hope to hear from you! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	16. Partner

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Hope all is well. Thank you for continuing on with me, it means a lot. Enjoy!**

Partner: (noun) the person with whom one cohabits in a romantic or platonic relationship.

Scully frequently got irritated with Mulder, frustrated might be a better word. He understood where she was coming from. He dragged her around the U.S. on various, eccentric assignments, he asked so much of her, and she's invested about just as much as he had in the X Files. However, this was the first time he had ever seen her absolutely furious with him.

She had mentioned to him in the past that she didn't appreciate being left behind. It wasn't all that common, but sometimes he didn't want to bring her because it was too dangerous. He knew she misinterpreted the abandonment as a sign that he didn't trust her, but he just wouldn't be able to take it if anything happened to her because of him. He trusted her more than anyone else in the entire world, his trust was in her implicitly, but he would never purposefully ask her to risk her life for him.

Earlier today, they were working a case in southern Oregon. It involved a man who was bludgeoning people to death, however, there were never external injuries on any of the victims, but all the autopsies showed intense battering on all the internal organs. On the third night there, Mulder got a tip that someone wanted to meet him outside their motel, by the laundry room. Since the message was specifically requesting him only, he didn't want to bring Scully and have her get hurt out of anger. He also knew that if he even mentioned it that she would be adamant that she had to go with him. So he didn't tell her. Instead, he left his motel room at midnight and stood outside of the laundry room. That's all he remembered.

Now he was laying in a hospital room feeling like he had been hit by a car with a concerned Scully standing over him. "Hey, I'm glad you're awake." As soon as he opened his eyes, she was by his side, running her hand through his hair.

He smiled weakly, "Where am I?"

She pursed her lips in concern, pulling up a chair next to his bed. "I went outside to get a snack from the vending machine by the laundry room and I saw you moving on the ground. When I got close, you looked like you were getting kicked and thrown around, but nothing was there. I ran to your side and it stopped, so I called 911 and you were brought to the hospital with really bad internal injuries."

He nodded to himself, figuring out what had happened pretty quickly. Scully must have realized he knew more than he was letting on because she removed her hand from his bed and leaned back in her chair. "You don't seem surprised."

He could tell she was irritated, and he didn't want to hide the truth anymore. "I got a tip from someone asking me to meet them outside the laundry room last night at midnight." She let out a big exhale and a sardonic chuckle before he continued, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to get hurt." This statement made her eyes whip to meet his, fury within there depths.

"Do you think I'm a liability to you? As a partner." The question rolled cooly off her tongue, thanking him aback.

"No, Scully-I think you're more than capable as my partner. I've never thought of you as a liability. I just-" He started, trying to reassure her, but ended up getting cut off.

"You just 'didn't want me to get hurt'. I've heard it all before, Mulder!" He knew she wouldn't be pleased with this revelation, but this was new. She sat upright in her chair, making sure he was paying attention to her.

"Did you ever care to consider the fact that I don't want you to get hurt either? That it would kill me if something happened to you and I had no idea what was going on? You go to all these lengths to 'protect' me, but you've never even asked me what _I_ want."

He was honestly in shock. Scully had reached her breaking point. Capitalizing on his silence, she continued, "Let's look at tonight. So this guy contacts you, you don't want him to attack me since I was invited, so you go by yourself. You're an intelligent man Mulder, but my god, you can be dense sometimes. Do you know how simple it would have been to tell me about it, I act as back up, and I could have intervened before it got _this_ bad?" She gestured to his body with an agitated hand, "Why would that have been such a horrible idea?"

He was silent for a moment until he realized she was actually asking him. Clearing his throat he responded, "If anything happened to me, then I would have trusted you would have figured it out and found the guy." He wasn't confident in his answer, but he knew saying he was afraid to see her get hurt would have set her off again. Apparently this wasn't good enough either.

"Well guess what Mulder, you would have been killed tonight had I not been hungry, and I would have no idea where to even start looking. You would have left me all alone, permanently this time." She stood up from her chair and started pacing a small line on the linoleum floor. "Do you know how scared I was? When I came out and saw you thrashing on the ground, but I had no idea what was going on?"

"It appears to be very," he said, not knowing if this was another question for him. Evidently he wasn't good at reading the signs of an irate Scully.

She turned to him, nostrils lightly flared, "No shit, Mulder! I was terrified. I'm your partner. I would have had to live with the idea that you would rather face the danger of going off by yourself than asking for my help!"

"Scully, that's not it and you know it. You've lost so much already because of my irrational ambition, if you lost your life because I insisted we do something risky, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He hated hearing her think that he didn't trust her, but she kept misconstruing his words.

"Mulder, can you get out of your own head for one second? This 'hypothetical' fear you have of me being in danger is what I have to face _all the time_. You leave for hours, hell, sometimes days, and I have no idea where you are! I imagine you're in a ditch dead, or captured by an enemy, or lost and alone. I have to live with that the entire time you're gone. Do you think I don't care about you? After all this time?" Scully was intermittently shouting at him and the guilt with every new development was burning a hole in his chest. He knew she worried, but he never imagined what it must have been like. The one time she did that with the Jerse incident it drove him crazy, but he at least knew vaguely where she was.

"Scully, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem like I didn't care." Scully turned around from her spot and he was genuinely worried she was going to finally leave, that she had finally had enough of him, but instead she just stood stationary in her spot near the edge of the bed. He sat there for a moment in silence until he heard a sharp intake of breath.

 _Shit. I made her cry._

He could could on one hand how many times Scully had cried in front of him; her father's death, after being held captive, fearing death from cancer, it took a lot for her to cry. And here she was, in the middle of his hospital room, crumpling in on herself because he had made her worry yet again. Mulder felt like guilt was making a home in his chest.

"Scully?" He asked, leaning forward in his bed to try and get closer to her.

He almost jumped when she whirled around, fury in her tear-flooded eyes. "Mulder, everything that's happened to me while being a part of the X Files has been of my own accord, because I am just as invested as you are! This isn't just your mission anymore, it's mine too, and I understand the risks," a broken sob interrupted her speech and broke Mulder's heart. "I would rather die by your side, fighting for what we believe in, knowing I did my all, because I would see it to the end with you. I never, listen to my words, never want to find your dead body alone. Do you understand me?" It seemed she had exhausted herself because she tentatively sat down on the edge of his bed and allowed her face to crumple, covering her face in her hands.

Mulder's heart warmed at her unabashed honesty, but shame still engulfed him like a blanket. This beautiful, wonderful, intelligent woman, so dedicated to the pursuit of the truth, had been through so much and he never noticed. He adored her so much, but yet his attempts at keeping her safe had done more damage than good.

He scooted a bit further down on the bed so that he was at her side. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her petite body to his own. He was glad that she accepted the affection, taking her hands away from her face and wrapping them around his sides. He was in a little bit of pain, but the important of this moment was all he cared about.

He kissed her hair a few times before whispering, "I'm so sorry Scully. I didn't understand. It would kill me if the situation was reversed. I promise I'll never keep you in the dark, I respect you too much for that. You mean too much to me."

She snuggled in closer to him, and they just sat like that for what felt like hours, just embracing each other. After a while, she pulled back from his arms and placed a gentle, but loving, kiss on his jaw, then his cheek, before chastely pressing her lips to his own. It was short, she pulled back a moment after she did it, but it meant the world to him.

Chuckling with embarrassment, she started wiping away the tear tracks from her flushed face. Meeting his gaze once more, she muttered, "I accept your apology, but if it happens again, I _will_ shoot you." She placed her finger where the wound was from the last time she shot him for emphasis, making him laugh.

He couldn't help but be captivated by the intimacy of the moment, she had just told him how much he meant to her, she had just been in crying in his arms, she had just kissed him, and now he was transfixed on how blue her eyes looked and how beautiful her puffy face looked. "If it makes you feel any better, you look beautiful when you cry."

She laughed with an amused smirk on her face, mumbling "asshole" jokingly under her breath. He stared in awe at her. The woman who would go hand in hand with him into the depths of the unknown. His partner in life.

 **This one is definitely different from the rest. I just wanted to try a new side of their relationship, where things weren't sunshine and rainbows. Hope you didn't hate it. I love you all! Hope to hear from you. - Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	17. Quirky

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just a head's up, I'm on my fifth glass of wine, so if there are gratuitous spelling errors, I am so sorry. I was inspired for this one because I saw that Scully's birthday is February 23rd, so it's coming up. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

Quirky: (adjective) characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits; strikingly unconventional.

Scully liked to sleep in whenever she possibly could. Contrary to the fact that she woke up everyday at five so she could shower and get the the Hoover Building by seven, always earlier than Mulder, the truth is that she is _not_ a morning person. Because of that, Saturday and Sunday mornings were reserved for lounging around exclusively. This was the first time in a long time her routine had been switched up.

Scully awoke to the sun beaming down at her through the curtains. Looking at her alarm clock she sighed in contentment when she saw 10:10 glaring back at her in red neon. However, her tranquility was extremely short lived. As soon as her head was back on the pillow, she heard a loud crash in the kitchen, followed by a voice grumbling something unintelligible.

She shot up in bed, grabbed her gun off the nightstand, and tiptoed to the source of the noise. It sounded like somebody was rummaging through her cabinets unsuccessfully. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could smell that her stove was on. Now she was just on edge _and_ confused. Turning the corner, she saw a tall man in a black hoodie going through her cabinets. As soon as he opened the one with all the knives, she cleared her throat and commanded, "FBI, I'm armed. Put your hands behind your head and turn around slowly."

As soon as she heard the man start to chuckle, she knew who it was. _Of course it was him._ "Mulder, what are you doing in my kitchen? Let alone on a Sunday?" She asked, lowering her gun and letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Mulder now thought it would be a good idea to take off his hood, and turned around to meet her with a sheepish grin. "I was trying to surprise you." He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and tried to lean against the counter casually. Except he leaned against the stove he just turned on, causing him to yelp and jump away. It may have been extremely amusing if she wasn't so perplexed by the whole thing.

"Surprise me?"

He looked at her, but then avoided his gaze back to the floor. He was acting unusually shy, she just figured it was because he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I wanted to make you breakfast," he mumbled sheepishly.

She smiled at how endearing the whole scene was. She still had no idea why, but she was touched that Mulder had come all the way over to do something nice for her. Ignoring the fact that he broke into her home and was rummaging through her belongings dressed as a burglar. "May I ask why?" She said it in the nicest tone she would to let him know she wasn't mad at his gesture.

He grinned back at her, obviously pleased with her acceptance. With a full toothed smile he replied, "No."

If her face already wasn't plastered with confusion, it was now. "No?" she parroted back to him.

"As much as I love seeing sleepy-Scully in her pyjamas, sleepy-Scully asks too many questions. Why don't you go take a shower and by the time you're finished, I will be too." His words caused her to look down and she immediately side-stepped behind a counter to hide from his gaze.

A few years ago, Mulder slept at her place while his apartment was being repainted, and he had left an old Aerosmith shirt behind. She remembered seeing it laying on the bathroom floor and in a moment of uncharacteristic romanticism, she quickly discarded her own clothes and put it on. It came down only to her upper-mid thigh, but she enjoyed being engulfed in his shirt that smelled exactly like him. He never asked about it, and she never attempted to bring it back. Instead, she had made it one of her favorite sleep shirts.

Now, here she was in her own kitchen, wearing absolutely nothing but that shirt and a pair of tiny black panties. Looking back up at him, the gleam in his eye told her that he was fully aware that was _his_ and that he more than enjoyed it being in her possession. She still wanted to find out what he was up to, but using his offer as a scapegoat from her gaze sounded good too. Clearing her throat, she replied, "Okay, I'll go take a shower. I'll be out in about twenty minutes." She made it a few steps down the hallway before turning back around, "What are you looking for anyway?"

With the same grin that seemed to be taking up residency on his face, he replied, "A pan." He followed her extended finger to the cabinet with the pans and thanked her.

"And what was that crashing noise I heard a few minutes ago?"

"Oh," his embarrassment making a comeback, "I slipped and fell on your welcome mat."

She rolled her eyes and went back into her room to change into her robe before going to the bathroom. She sat down for her morning pee as she listened to Mulder stomping around in the other room. It was like comforting background music, you could hear his clumsy backtracking as he made wrong moves, the sound of his curses underneath his breath, and the sound of something sizzling on the stove.

She finished up and started her shower. She was torn between speeding up the process so she could go out there and see domestic-Mulder in action, versus taking her time so that he could fully prepare her surprise the way he intended. She settled on a happy medium and was done in after about fifteen minutes. She stepped out of the shower and gently dried off with a towel before putting on her robe.

She had just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard Mulder cry out in pain. Her doctor instincts kicked in and she quickly made her way into the kitchen to see Mulder running his hand under the faucet.

"Are you okay?" She asked, padding her way over to his hunched over form.

"Yeah, I just burned my finger on the stove," he mumbled from his position.

She grabbed his wrist from underneath the water, turned off the tap, and she dragged him back with her to the steam-riddled bathroom. She instructed him to sit on the ledge of the bathtub and told him not to touch his finger. She trifled through her medicine cabinet until she found the Bactine, Band-Aids, and Neosporin. Turning back to her task, she stood in front of Mulder and cleaned his wound and started rubbing the ointment onto the raw wound. While she was doing that, she noticed a droplet of water fall down onto his jeans. She realized her damp hair had been dripping onto him while she had been preoccupied. Putting one hand on his shoulder, she reached behind him and grabbed a towel. Taking a few steps back, she lightly bent over, threw the towel on her head, and mussed it up, absorbing the remaining water. When she was done, she flipped her hair up and tossed the towel back to where it was, returning to Mulder. "Sorry about that," she mumbled as she tried to find a good size Band-Aid from the variety pack.

"You're fine," he said after clearing his throat. She noticed there was a strangled quality in his voice and she flitted her eyes to look at him. He was bright red, resting his non-injured hand on the crotch of his jeans, and avoiding her gaze at all costs, though she noticed he kept inadvertently looking back at her body before gluing his eyes to random objects around the room.

She cursed herself for the second time today when she realized she hadn't changed out of her robe. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was relatively short, and fixing her hair caused the sash to loosen, making the front gape open a little more than normal. In other words, she had been throwing an excessive amount of cleavage in Mulder's face.

She quickly pulled out a good enough Band-Aid and wrapped it around his injury. Tapping it lightly, she declared, "You're all good to go!" Then she quickly left him so, for the first time today, she could put on actual clothes.

When she emerged from her room, in all the appropriate garments, she was greeted with the sight of her dining room table adorned with two plates full of various breakfast foods. Mulder was standing near a chair that he pulled out for her when she got close enough. When she was settled, he sat in the chair next to her and smiled.

"So are you going to let me in on what made you want to roleplay Martha Stewart in my kitchen this morning?" She asked, taking a bite of her eggs. "These are very good by the way."

Mulder always looked shy when she complimented him, and this was no different. "Thank you. I just felt bad that in the seven years I've known you, the only thing you've ever gotten from me on a birthday was a keychain and a snowball with a sparkler in it, so I wanted to do something special for you."

She was touched, she never took it personal when he forgot her birthday, but it was nice to see what he would do when he did remember. However, he was a little off this time. "This is so sweet Mulder, I appreciate this so much, but you know my birthday isn't until Friday, right?"

She presumed his face got red because he hadn't realized, but the words out of his mouth took her off guard, "Well, actually it's not just for your birthday."

"What do you mean?"

"I could have done it today or tomorrow, there isn't an exact halfway mark. I did it today because it was Sunday, so I figured we could have more time-"

"Halfway mark for what?" She asked, getting lost in his explanation.

"Today and Tomorrow are halfway in between Valentine's Day and your birthday." She knew she was smiling, but he was too hyper focused on pretending to be preoccupied by his food to notice. "I didn't know if you already had a date on Valentine's Day, and I didn't want to bother you, and I know that you usually visit your mom on your birthday, so I figured in between would work best for celebrating both."

They had gotten progressively closer and closer with each passing year. They both knew they were at the tipping point of their relationship, as soon as one of them finally took the plunge and said "I love you," she knew there would be no resistance in starting a relationship. They were just both so scared to change what they have. It's not as if they hadn't tried though, Scully spent hours helping Mulder reorganize his file cabinets just so they could spend more time together. Mulder just was a bit more quirky when it came to his expressions. Like intricately figuring out how to celebrate both Valentines Day and her birthday with her without being a 'bother'. Mulder was reserved about showing his emotions to just anyone, so him bearing his heart on his sleeve like this meant the world to her.

She took his hand into her own, getting his attention, and she kissed the palm of his hand before pressing it to her cheek. "Thank you, Mulder. I love this." She closed her eyes when she felt him rub the skin of her cheek with his thumb. "I'm glad you did this too." She added, moving to eat some of the food he prepared her.

"Glad? How come?" He asked, doing the same.

"Because now I get to spend both holidays with the person I wanted to." She took a second before checking to see his reaction, and was pleased to see he was beaming.

"Well, I'm glad because this is actually only the start of our day." He chuckled shyly.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

 **Let me know if you liked it! This was pretty fun to write! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	18. Romance

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Happy X-Files Wednesday, I am excited to get off work and watch it off my DVR. I know a lot of people aren't excited about this episode because it's Skinner-centric, following these great MSR heavy episodes, but he has done so much for these lovable dorks over the years, he deserves time to shine! It also looks like Mulder and Scully are there, so I'm all good. Hope you enjoy!**

Romance: (verb) to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness.

Mulder wasn't an idiot. He was aware that his partner was attractive. In fact, he was _more than aware_ of just how influential the essence of Dana Katherine Scully was. He didn't know when the transition happened. He remembered in the early years, he was enamoured, charmed even, by his new, petite partner. He had been apprehensive about trusting her at first, but in no time, she had become his sole confidant. Her brilliance saved his ass and solved cases over and over again, and he was readily grateful.

Realistically, he probably realized his admiration had morphed into love during her abduction. For that whole time, he had a rude awakening to just _how much_ he had started to depend on Scully. She was always in his mind, sometimes more than others, but he never stopped thinking about her. He would think of a theory in the office and turn to get her scientific opinion, but she was gone _;_ he would pick up the phone to call her, only to hang up when he realized there would be no answer; everything he thought inevitably led back to her. She came into his life like a whirlwind and left a devoted admirer in her wake, whether she knew it or not.

For longer than he'd care to admit, he wore her dainty gold cross around his neck. It was almost like a security blanket, a tangible part of Scully that he could have on him. He wore the cross with just as much religious reverence as she had, though instead of praying to God, he prayed to her. Prayed for her to be safe, prayed for her to give him a sign she was alright, prayed for her to come back to him alive.

When she was returned, it broke his heart to see her laying in that bed, so fragile. While he had imagined what it would be like to tell her how much she meant to him, he realized doing so would be enormously selfish. She had been through hell and back and why? Her association to the X-Files.

He knew it was her mission now as much as it had been his, the years upon years of fighting side-by-side solidified that; but there was a guilt that gnawed at him anytime she got hurt, anytime she rubbed the back of her neck and felt that chip keeping her alive, anytime she mentioned her sister, anytime he saw her look at a child and pretend like it didn't break her heart. Her body was marred by scars wrought by investigating these cases, while his remained relatively untouched, a cruel irony he had a hard time swallowing.

Because of this, he didn't want to burden her with his feelings. She deserved a reprieve, going home should be a sanctuary, away from monsters, away from serial killers, and away from his obsessions. She deserved normalcy that Mulder didn't know if he could ever provide. He was content with loving her from afar, or at least he thought so.

For years, his plan worked. He got to spend time with her, they had fun, she trusted him, and he accepted going home and relieving any _frustrations_ at home himself. He never wanted to get his hopes up, but as time progressed, he felt that Scully may have felt the same way he did. Occasionally a glance would have a spark behind it, touches would last a bit too long, an idle flirtation would cause her to hide a smile. He had been gaining hope. They were two sides of the same coin.

Mulder wasn't naive. He was aware that Scully was an amazing woman, and he was equally aware that other men realized this too. Trying to keep count of how many times he had to witness Scully get hit on would be impossible. Hell, it was obvious that even Skinner had an affinity for Scully. Mulder honestly figured everyone with a pulse did though. He didn't know what was worse, the men that leered at her physical beauty, or the men that flirted through intelligence. The men that leered, or stood too close, or said something vulgar disgusted him. They weren't treating her with the respect she deserves, but he took comfort in how she rejected them, in some cases, put them in their place.

The men that recognized her brilliance, on the other hand, really scared him. If there was one thing Mulder knew, it was that Scully enjoyed witty banter, he relished it. When other men used it, he felt intimidated. They were all nice, mind you, but Mulder had to work hard to repress the jealousy that lived in his chest whenever she smiled at their flirty remarks. He had always taken comfort in the fact that it usually happened when they were states away from home, impossible to start a relationship with. That's probably why he was scared shitless right now.

There was a fine looking guy that he frequently saw in the autopsy bay when he visited Scully, Mark something-or-other. Scully said he was a lab technician, and a nice enough guy. Mulder always thought it was obvious the guy idolized Scully, Mulder frequently caught him looking at her like she was the only person on the planet whenever she spoke, and he would drop everything to do anything Scully asked of him. Mulder figured the guy intimidated him because it was like looking at his own reflection in a mirror. Except the reflection had the same interests in the medical field as Scully, was more attractive, and didn't make her run around looking for aliens every week.

Mulder had come down to see how the autopsy Scully was performing was going, what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Scully was arms deep in a corpse and standing right next to her was Mark whats-his-face, he was beaming down at her and pushing her hair behind her ear. Mulder quickly side stepped behind the door so he wasn't visible.

"You're beautiful you know." Mulder wanted to vomit at the sincerity oozing out of the guy's voice.

"That's nice of you to say." She sounded appreciative, but Mulder could hear Scully's natural self-doubt seeping into her voice. _He's right though, Scully._

"I've always admired you, you're one of the most brilliant people we have here." Mulder felt his heart pounding in his chest, wishing he could peer in and see her reaction.

"Thank you." He couldn't tell if she was being short because she didn't appreciate the attention, or if it was because she was hoping for this and was nervous.

In a rush of immaturity, Mulder threw himself into the room. He would like to say it was just because he didn't want to hear anymore, partly true, but in reality, he wanted to interrupt before the guy had a chance to ask her out, which is what it felt like this was leading up to. As soon as Mulder entered the room, he saw the guy jump about fifteen feet out of his skin, and quickly scurry back to his computer.

Mulder gave him a tepid glare before making his way to Scully. "Anything interesting?" He asked, trying to pretend like he hadn't just eavesdropped like a victorian housewife.

She looked surprised at his sudden arrival, but not suspicious, "Actually, I'm nearly finished up. Nothing's too interesting, but I can let you know if you want to stay here while I finish up?"

He took her up on her offer and watched in fascination as she fluently maneuvered around the corpse like it was a second language. The whole time, he couldn't help but focus on the fact that someone was fervently just flirting with Scully. He was aware that it happened all the time, but seeing it so up close and personal, with someone that actually could stand a chance, intimidated him. Realistically looking at it, he wasn't sure if he liked his current plan of action. Scully was never cruel to him, she was beyond understanding, so he was pretty sure that their relationship could survive if he asked her out. Best case, she says yes, worst case, it would be a little awkward for a while. He just didn't want a repeat of the abduction situation, he didn't want to realize what could have been when it's too late. It would pain him too much to live his life in the 'what ifs'.

"Mulder, what's on your mind? You've been nearly silent since we were in the morgue, this has to be a record for you," Scully teased, pulling him out of his internal debate. Looking around, he was surprised that he was so focused on his inner musings that he hadn't paid attention to the fact they had returned back to their office.

"Oh, uh-" He hadn't fully prepared a cover story so the only thing he could think of was a weak, "nothing."

"Nothing? In all the years I've known you, you aren't a man to have 'nothing' on his mind. Come on, what's bothering you?"

Mulder could feel his palms sweating and his heart pounding, he wanted to tell her, so if there was a chance, he could get to her before someone beat him to it. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable." _Wow, smooth._

Her head cocked to the side in confusion, "I'm sure I'll be fine, just tell me."

"Do you want to go on a date?" The question flew out of his mouth, and he quickly added a stammered, "...with-me?"

She dropped her gaze and a shy smile broke out on her face and he braced himself for her upcoming speech letting him down gently, about how she 'liked him as a partner, but nothing more', how she actually was having an affair with Mark, how the rules would never permit it, how unprofessional it was for him to ask. "Yes." _Wait, what?_

Apparently he had asked that question aloud because she repeated herself a little slower this time, a slight blush on her face, "I said, yes. I would like to go on a date with you."

He felt like he was in shock, and he was sure a dumb smile had taken up residence on his face. _She said yes._ In all the times he imagined this moment, he expected resistance or just flat out rejection, but she didn't even have to think about it. She said yes, she wanted to go on a date with him.

"I lost you again," she said with a nervous laugh, "Are you having a stroke?"

"I'm just happy you said yes, I was nervous," he chuckled in embarrassment.

"I don't know how you could have expected anything else," he could tell she was nervous too by the way she was avoiding eye contact, but all he could focus on was the upward curve of her lips. "Does tomorrow at about seven work for you?" She asked.

"It's a date," the words sounding unreal coming out of his mouth.

"It's a date," they sounded like a hymn coming out of hers.

Anticipation is the silent killer of man. Mulder felt himself constantly distracted for the next 26 hours by the knowledge that he was going to be going out on a _date_ with his partner, Special Agent Dana Scully, Medical Doctor. When he woke up that morning, he expected that it had all been a part of an elaborate fantasy in his dreams. Alas, when he went in that morning, Scully was in high spirits and asked if he wanted to meet at an Italian place downtown. They spent the entirety of the day in mock professionalism, stealing glances at the other every chance they got, and confirmed they would meet in a few hours when they left the Hoover Building.

Mulder had never been one for fashion. He knew suits were the go-to for men, so that's what he wore everyday to work. He had never gotten any complaints, aside from Scully making fun of his ties. He figured since the italian place was in a nicer part of town, a suit would be the dress code. However, he didn't want to just wear the suit he wore to work, _what if Scully recognized it and thought that he didn't care?_ He looked at his selection and chose a rich, dark, black suit that he usually wore to formal work functions. He hoped it wasn't too much, but he wanted Scully to know how much this means to him.

It only took him half an hour to get ready, so with plenty of time to kill, he decided to go to a corner store and buy some flowers. He didn't want to overwhelm her with a bouquet while they were trying to eat, so he went with a single red rose. He wasn't very experienced with romance, nothing this important, but he was confident Scully would like it. Checking his watch, he realized he was still about half an hour early. Mulder decided he would just kill time at the booth and he made his way to the restaurant.

Upon entrance, he was blown away by how stunning the atmosphere was. Scully had great tastes, as expected. He made his way to the Maitre D and said,"Hey, I'm a little early, I have a reservation at seven, I'm not sure if it's under Scully or Mulder?"

Without even having to check, the man responded, "Ah! Yes, Mr. Scully. Your wife arrived a few moments ago. Right this way, sir." He didn't know what part of that statement made him happiest. The fact Scully arrived just as early as he did _she was just as excited for this as he was,_ the fact he was called Mr. Scully, or the fact she was just referred to as his wife. He decided all three made him happiest.

Apparently Scully had asked for a private booth, which was for the best since they didn't need anyone from the Bureau seeing them. When he rounded the corner, his breath caught in his throat. When something is so ethereal, so perfect, trying to describe it only acts as a disservice. That's how he felt about Scully right now. She was wearing a dress he had never seen before that complimented her figure perfectly. Her hair was framing her face, which was accented by makeup with the artistry women seemed to have perfected. She looked radiant, but what thrilled him the most was the sparkle in her eyes and the way her lips were spread as soon as she saw him.

He presented her with the flower as he took his seat across from her, earning delighted gratitude from the Aphrodite incarnate sitting across from him. He couldn't help but stare at her in awe. This was Scully, the Scully he had spent the last six years right beside, but yet he felt like he was meeting her for the first time. Realizing he hadn't really said anything, he piped up with a cheesy joke, "Long time, no see."

She smirked at him, but before she could respond, the waiter came. Neither of them had ever eaten there before, so they took the man's recommendations and Mulder ordered a nice bottle of Sangria wine which was brought back to the table almost immediately.

"I must say, you surprised me," Scully confided, sipping from her wine.

"How so?"

"I hope I don't sound presumptuous, but I assume we both knew the day would come," a grin spread across his face at her words and he was glad to see it mirrored on her own, "I was just surprised that you finally took the plunge on a mundane Thursday afternoon, at work nonetheless."

He laughed sheepishly, "Well, in my defense, I had no idea it was going to happen either." He never could hide anything from her, regardless of if it was embarrassing.

"What made you do it?" Her eyebrow quirked up, her telltale sign of curiosity.

"Well, um, I was jealous," His words faded off a little bit at the end as he took a sip of his drink.

She chuckled in amusement, "What could you have possibly been jealous of?"

He rubbed the skin across his jaw where he had just shaved, "I accidentally overheard you and Mark in the morgue, that's kinda why I busted in. I heard what he was saying to you."

"How could _that_ have intimidated you?"

"How could it have not? He was wooing you!" Mulder's exclamation elicited a hearty laugh out of Scully. It was music to his ears. Scully laughed more and more as they got closer, but a belt like this was rare and he reveled in being its cause.

"Mulder, he was _not_ wooing me. He has had a crush on me since he came from Quantico. This was the first time he was ever so bold. I was about to tell him to keep his hands to himself before you barged in." Even though he was literally on a date with her right now, hearing this provided him with a great sense of relief. She must have picked up on it because she chuckled, "Mulder, I promise you shouldn't have been worried."

"Scully, you're a beautiful woman who could get any man you wanted. I am confident my worry was valid." The sincerity in his voice caused her to blush, the shy smile returning to her face.

"I'm with the one I wanted, so that's all the matters to me," she spoke the words so quietly it was almost like a whisper. She raised her eyes and quickly added, "That's the pot calling the kettle black though. Do you know how many times I've had to listen to the secretaries fawn over you when I'm in the women's room!"

He smiled at her and, as cheesy as it sounds, they got lost in each others eyes. Six years of dreaming about this, and here they were. It was surreal. If he told himself all those years ago, hell if he told himself last _week_ , that he was going to go on a date with Scully, let alone hearing her say she had wanted this too, he would have never believed it.

"So you thought about it?" He asked, curious about how she viewed their relationship.

"It? As in us going out?" He continued after he nodded, bashfully flitting her gaze down to the napkin, grinning, "I mean, yeah. Of course." She looked at him with the slight self-consciousness that he rarely saw, "Did you?"

Without missing a beat he replied, "Everyday."

They were both enjoying this unabashed honesty, so Scully kept going, "Since when?"

He paused a second to reflect, "I've always had a crush on you since that first case when you came into my motel room," at the way her eyes comically widened, he added, "Not because you disrobed in front of me, but because you trusted me. You didn't blow off what I was saying. I realized how much you meant to me when you were gone." She smiled sadly at him, he didn't need to elaborate, they both knew what he meant. "What about you?"

Embarrassment flooded her gaze once more, unused to voicing the words she had felt for so many years. "You probably don't remember, well actually with your memory you probably do, but when I was at the academy, you came and gave my class a presentation over forensic pathology."

"You were in that class? Oh god, I made an ass of myself," he remembered that like it was yesterday. He owed the professor a favor, so when he called Mulder sick with the flu, he went and basically regurgitated his thesis to ninety students.

"In all fairness, I wasn't paying attention to what you were saying," she giggled and he was captivated by the tinkling melody, "I had a juvenile crush on you then, so when I was assigned to you, it still lingered. Stop looking at me like that!" She laughed. His face was in pure shock and awe. _Little FBI in-training Scully had a crush on him, The love of his life was sitting in that classroom a decade ago thinking about how cute he was. She had a crush on him when she introduced herself that day in the basement._ "I realized how much you meant to me when my mom told me you were her guiding light when I was gone. That you called every time you had an update, that you came to my room everyday when I was back."

They both looked at each other in reverence. He voiced what they were both thinking, "That was five years ago."

She added, "We waited five whole years," blushing lightly she proclaimed, "We have a lot of time to make up for."

There was something suggestive in her tone that thrilled him, "Yes we do."

Their food came a few moments later, and they enjoyed the meal with intermittent conversations about their repressed feelings, joking about how nervous they had been around each other. When they finished, after much convincing, Scully let Mulder pay the bill with the promise that she could get it next time. _Next time._

When they got outside, they turned to each other with juvenile nerves and excitement. Scully was the first to speak, "You already took one big leap for our relationship, I guess I can take the next."

Before he could ask what she meant, she lifted on her tiptoes, placed her hands on his shoulders for leverage, and pressed her lips to his. She was giving him a glimpse of heaven in this kiss. Some people say the fantasy can never live up to the reality, but those people had never been given the affection of Dana Scully. He wrapped one arm around her middle and the other rested on the back of her head, entangling in her hair. They stayed like that for a good moment, exploring each others mouths. They only broke apart because they had to breathe. Panting, they stared at each other in awe, dorky smiles spreading across their faces.

"Wow," she whispered. He was so overcome with love for the woman in his arms, he bent down and pulled her into a tight hug, nuzzling into her hair.

 _This is just the beginning._

 **I had a lot of fun with that one, I hope you liked it too! Sorry that my normal Wednesday update is so late. People actually came into my work tonight, and then I came home and watched the new episode. That end scene with the three of them was really sweet, I don't want to ruin it, but I love them. All and any feedback is greatly appreciated! Love you all. -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	19. Supportive

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Hope all is well. Lol, I'm sad The X-Files won't be back on until February 28th. Either how, hope you enjoy this chapter! I never usually write pre-cancer arc stories, it think their relationship got a lot closer after that, so I like playing around there. However, I want to experiment with new things and I know there are fans that really love early season stories, so I wanted to try!**

Supportive: (adjective) providing encouragement or emotional help.

It was starting to become clear to her that she was not going to be the one to debunk the X-Files. After a year of working with Mulder, to discredit everything they had seen because it was 'out of the norm' was a disservice to his work, let alone all that she had invested. Slowly, as the months progressed, it became evident that the higher ups who assigned her were on the same page. They stopped responding to her case reports, in the beginning she got feedback every week asking her to explain her 'outlandish' claims, now they were met with resentful silence. The person they trusted to ruin Mulder became his partner in crime.

She also noticed that her peers were also becoming aware she had moved into the basement for good. She still had an office upstairs, but it was now just collecting dust. Mulder never like to leave the basement, for reasons she completely understood, and she didn't want to run to the basement every five seconds when he wanted to run something by her. Women she used to go out to lunch with stopped asking her to go out when they stopped seeing her. Part of it was her own fault, she remembered when they used to call and ask, but nine times out of ten she was busy with Mulder, and the remaining times she was too exhausted. They were still nice, but it was hard to be friends with a ghost.

She had never been one for gossip, even when she was social with her coworkers. It was a waste of time. Even so, she had heard countless tales of _Spooky Mulder_ in the basement. " _He was institutionalized as a kid cause he went crazy when E.T. took is sister. I heard he's a genius, too bad he wastes his talent. He's such a loser."_ She hadn't given any credit to it back then, but now after having him confide in her, the gossip infuriated her. Mulder had been nothing but kind and supportive of her since they became partners, and these people treated him like a joke.

She knew how rumors started, most of the time they were just ounces of truth blown out of proportion, but she hadn't realized that it could happen through association. It was just her third case on the X-Files, the Tooms case, when she heard it for the first time. Agent Colton, like so many others, were disappointed that she was _stuck_ with 'Spooky Mulder.' She barely remembered his suggestion, what stuck out to her was he said she could avoid being permanently known as _Mrs. Spooky._

She had known Mulder for less than a month, but apparently she was married in nickname to the man. She remembered being offended. She thought highly of Mulder, but she thought of all the pejorative things that had been associated with him over the years to everyone else. _Obsessive, creepy, weird, freak, loner._ All the years she had put into working hard for her career, and now that's what she was going to be associated with.

When Agent Colton met with Mulder later that same day, she remembered he tried to make fun of Mulder. She would never say it to his face, his ego didn't need the inflation, but Mulder was a genius. Not in the overused sense of the word, but he was truly, by definition a genius. His mind worked in ways that some people didn't understand. Which is why, when he bated Agent Colton by teasing him about the skin color of _reticulans_ , Agent Colton was just reassured everything he had thought about Spooky Mulder was true. Mulder knew this, and he didn't care. Scully, naively, did. Very much so. She supposed it was because she had spent so much time with this man. She knew the man behind the mask and behind the rumors, and he was amazing.

By the end of the case, she saw the stupidity of all these people whose opinions she had been so worried about. Mulder and her knew the truth, they solved the case, but yet everyone refused to see beyond what they were comfortable with. _Occam's Razor_. She decided she liked being known as Mrs. Spooky. To her, Team Spooky represented the pursuit of truth and willingness to accept the costs of knowing. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power. Over the past year, she had heard that nickname countless times. In the bathroom when the secretaries didn't know she was there, whispers in the hallway, even the occasional slip up when someone was addressing her. Scully just gave them a condescending glare and went on her way. It didn't bother her, she was used to it by now, she heard it at least once a week.

Mulder was not.

She should have known that he wouldn't have heard it. He never left the basement after all, and no one really talked to him. Scully just never imagined how he would take it. She had been in the morgue when it happened. She was in the middle of an autopsy when some agents she didn't recognize came in to get results from the technician. The body she was autopsying was completely blue, so naturally it piqued their curiosity. They came over, asked her a few questions, then left. However, right before exiting the door, one man called over his shoulder, "Nice seeing ya, Mrs. Spooky." This earned him hearty chuckles from the men he was with.

She just rolled her eyes and continued with her work. She jumped out of her skin when a moment later she heard a voice ask, "What did he just call you?"

Recovering from her surprise, she said, "Mulder, you scared the shit out of me, I didn't even hear you come in."

"I was coming down the hall when those guys left." She could tell by the look on his face, the furrow of his brow, that he was upset.

She attempted to distract him, "Ah. Well, I haven't finished the autopsy yet b-"

"What did they call you? That group of men." He wasn't going to let this go, so letting out a sigh, she took her hands out of the corpse.

"He called me Mrs. Spooky," she stated unbothered. She stared at his face to gauge his reaction.

He looked down for a second, processing the information with the furrow in his brow still remaining. He tentatively looked back up and self-consciously stated, "Because of your association with me."

She didn't want him to think it bothered her, so she casually just resumed her autopsy. "People talk Mulder. Don't worry about it."

She felt him take a few steps closer, around the table, so that he was leaning close to her. "I do worry. Do you get made fun of a lot because you're part of the X-Files? I know what they say about me. I know no one likes Spooky Mulder, but I didn't know you got sucked into it." Her heart broke a little at how distressed he sounded.

"Mulder, I used to be called the _Ice Queen._ Honestly, I liked Mrs. Spooky more. I promise you it doesn't bother me. They are being juvenile." She felt her face flush, she actually hadn't been called Ice Queen in a long time, but she still did get a little embarrassed at that name.

"Why did they call you that? That doesn't make sense." She thought he was teasing her until she looked up, seeing pure earnesty on his face.

She figured that maybe showing how redundantly her nickname started would lessen the shame of his own. She kept her eyes glued to the body and detachedly stated, "Back in Quantico, I was going out with this loser guy in my class. On our third date he tried to force himself on me, but I punched him in the face, got away, and tried to get him kicked out of the program. The next day he showed up with a black eye and told everyone I was a 'frigid tease'. Over time it morphed into Ice Queen."

The room was dead silent for a few moments, the only sounds heard were the sounds of the thread going through the skin as she sewed the body up. She opened her mouth and started mumbling, "Mulder, nicknames don't matter. I-" She stopped when she felt his arms wrap around her awkwardly, one arm was pressed against his torso and the other was being held by his hands. She stood there in shock at the contact, unable to reciprocate because she her hands were full.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. She was touched. I was ages ago, she didn't think back to it all that often, but here he was trying to comfort her years later.

She laughed awkwardly, "Mulder, I didn't tell you to make you feel bad for me. I just wanted to demonstrate that the people who are trying to 'tease us', as you put it, don't matter. Why should I take into the account the opinions of people who can't see all we do. In just a year we've attained the highest solve rate at the Bureau, we make a great team, I've learned so much. None of that is discredited by the fact some boring people who can't even tell left from right don't understand. I promise you, it doesn't bother me. I still know I'm a great agent, and so are you."

He had let go of her during her rambling so she could finish sewing up and storing the body. When she looked back at him, he was leaning on the counter looking at her with an expression she couldn't place. "What?"

"You just always keep me on my toes, Mrs. Spooky," he said with a smile.

"Better keep up, Mr. Spooky," she smiled back.

 **This was a shorter one, but I hope you still enjoyed it! Let me know how you felt, this earlier dynamic was really new for me. Have a good day/night! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	20. Tender

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed update. Yesterday I adopted a cat and when my friends and I went to get stuff at Petco, he jumped out of the crate and was hit and killed by a car. I'm traumatized and sad. Rest in peace, Easter. I'm trying to get back into the groove by doing things I love, like writing, so here I am. Hope you enjoy.**

Tender: (adjective) marked by, responding to, or expressing the softer emotions; fond; loving.

They always say that doctors make the worst patients. If he didn't believe that before, watching Scully for the last twenty minutes has been evidence enough.

For around fifteen minutes, they had been chasing a serial killer in the woods. They had been working hand in hand with the, not so polite, Salem police, who were also smattered in the forest on the manhunt. It was the usual; Mulder was confident that they guy had shapeshifting abilities, the local P.D. thought he was crazy, and Scully acted as a mediator. Mulder had taken off and eventually caught up with the guy and apprehended him.

Somewhere in the chase, he lost contact with Scully. He asked random officers if they'd seen her as he passed by, but none of them could be bothered enough to give him an answer. He was really starting to worry when he heard a familiar voice call out, "Mulder, over here!" He turned and saw Scully was leaning against their rental car, standing a bit awkwardly.

"Scully, I thought I'd lost you, hey-are you okay?" When he approached her, he noticed her brow looked like it was furrowed in pain. He did a quick sweep of her body and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, except she looked dirtier than usual.

"Yes. I'm fine. Can we go now?" He didn't know what he had missed, but Scully didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation. He simply nodded and unlocked the car door, hoping she would open up on the ride back to the motel. He didn't say anything, but he noticed she took her time getting into the car, being very cautious for some reason. Even buckling in her seatbelt was done with a ridiculous amount of care for someone who was 'fine.'

They rode in the car in relative silence, occasionally he would hear a small, possible, whimper from Scully, but that was it. Until he had to swerve to avoid some unexpected glass in the road. The sharp turn lightly jolted her against the door and she cried out in pain, clutching her right elbow while gritting her teeth.

Now that her pain was obvious, he couldn't bite his tongue anymore, "Scully, please stop covering it up. You're hurt, please let me help you. What happened?"

"While I was running, I tripped and slid down a steep incline and landed on my arm. The squad back there already thinks we're incompetent, I didn't want to add fuel to the fire. I'm sure it's just a sprain. I'm going to look at it more when we get back to the motel." He felt guilty that he hadn't been there to help her when she fell and he felt guiltier that she didn't feel comfortable speaking up because of the impression he left on the local police.

"Scully, I think you should go to the hospital. You sound like you're in a lot of pain," he was already changing directions to go to the hospital instead, despite her protests.

"Mulder, seriously let's just go back to the motel. I can assess myself just as easily as the doctors at the hospital can. I'm tired and dirty, please." Please was a rare word for Scully, so it added another layer of guilt when he continued on his way to the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Scully. I know you're more than capable, but what if it's worse than you anticipate. This is just for the best," he pleaded. He was met with silence and it stayed that way until they were in the hospital.

He was grateful when she let him come in the examination room with her. The nurse came in, asked all the traditional information, then, before leaving, told Scully to remove her over shirt so the doctor could examine her better.

"Do you want me to leave?" He offered, not wanting to invade her privacy. He was internally glad when she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I have a camisole on underneath," she informed. He noticed she didn't even attempt to lift her right arm, instead struggling with the buttons with her left hand only. She was trying to pop the buttons out of the holes, but she was having difficulty. She tried different maneuvers and different forces, but her doctor's dexterity wasn't as strong in her non-dominant hand. He didn't want to insult her by offering his help, so he was relieved when she let out an exasperated breath and asked, "Can you help me?"

He was already on his feet when he answered, "Of course." She was sitting on the exam table, which made her taller than when she was standing up. He didn't know whether it was residual irritation or embarrassment or a combination of both, but she kept her eyes glued to the sink in the corner.

Stopping in front of her knees, he brought his hands to the top button. _For all the times I imagined doing this, these were not the circumstances, and that was not the expression on her face._ He moved with quick agility, trying to ignore the intimacy of this action and trying to ignore the cleavage being exposed. It may have been a camisole, but a tight white one with a black bra underneath. _Calm down buddy._

When he was done, he hooked his thumbs under the collar and started to slide the shirt down her arms, taking his time to be as gentle as possible. "Am I hurting you?"

She shook her head as he eased the shirt off her wrists, "No, thank you, Mulder." Now that she wasn't as covered, he could see the red discolorations along her arm, primarily around her shoulder and elbow.

When the doctor came in, he did a quick assessment and was immediately able to tell her shoulder was dislocated and, as she assumed, her elbow was sprained. The doctor started to talk about options, but Scully cut him off, "Just set it and give me a sling."

"We actually prefer to give our patients anesthetic. Setting a dislocation can be very painful-" _Oh boy._

"I'm a medical doctor. I know the pain that comes with setting. Just do it, or I'll do it myself," she snapped. With Scully's determination, he knew she was beyond serious, so he was glad when the doctor relented.

"Alright. Do you want your husband to hold your good hand while I do it?" Regardless of the mislabeling, he hoped Scully said yes. He hated feeling useless while she's in pain.

"He's not my husband, but yes, Mulder come here." This was not a request, this was a demand, and that was evident by the way she shyly stuck out her hand, expectantly awaiting him to come over. He did what she asked without a moment's hesitation.

"Oops, _boyfriend_ , sorry. He just wears the face of devoted husband so well." Mulder blushed in embarrassment at the man's words, but was happy when Scully didn't furthur correct him. Instead, she just wrapped her lithe fingers around his own and failed at repressing a smile.

Mulder's amusement was cut short when the doctor moved to her shoulder. He personally didn't know how painful this was, but by the way Scully's face was set, he expected it was really bad.

He placed one hand on Scully's shoulder blade area, and the other was on her bicep, lifting it up. "Okay, I'm going to count down," Mulder felt Scully's grip on his hand tighten as she nodded her head. "Three, two, one." He rotated her arm up and there was an audible 'pop' in the room as she cried out, death gripping Mulder's hand. It pained Mulder seeing Scully in so much pain, but he was glad it seemed like the worst was over.

The doctor let go as she let go of Mulder's hand. She tentatively grabbed the shoulder and moved it around a bit, letting out a sigh of relief at the new mobility. The doctor put a sling on her arm, to stabilize her elbow, and told her to avoid jostling it around. Mulder was pretty sure the man had more instructions, but he was yet again stopped by Scully who insisted she already knew all of this.

The ride to the motel was in relative silence, Scully seemed exhausted from the whole ordeal, so Mulder just played the radio and drove. When they got to the motel, Mulder went around the side of the car and helped Scully get out and to her room. "Is there anything you need?" He offered.

She was silent for a minute, the furrow of her brow telling him she was internally debating something. "If it makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to say no. I can manage by myself." He nodded and she continued, "I'm still dirty from my fall, and I want to take a bath," at the widening of his eyes, she laughed and said, "I can do that by myself perfectly fine. I just need help getting out of my clothes since I can't lift my arm very well."

"Sure, just let me know if I'm doing something wrong," Mulder answered, trying to act like his heart wasn't hammering out of his chest. They didn't rebutton the overshirt after the sling as put on, so that slid off with relative ease. After that, he gently undid the shoulder strap so that the sling was just hanging off her arm. "Do you want me to take it off by lifting it over your head, going around the sling, or do you want me to push the straps down your arms and have you step out of it?"

She took a moment to consider her options before answering, "The latter, it sounds easier." Nodding, he stretched the thin spaghetti straps down her arms, taking extra precautions to stretch it out enough so she could drag her arm through. When her arms were free, he slid the shirt over her breasts, trying to ignore the black silk taunting him, and drug the shirt down her body until she was able to step out of it.

He set the shirt next to the button down and looked back at his shy partner, standing in just her dress pants and her bra. He cleared his throat and asked, "What next?"

She reached her own hand down and tried to undo her belt, but the job was foreign to her without her other hand. He didn't need to be told, so he stepped closer to her and undid her belt, setting it in the discard pile. After that, he reached back down, undid the button on her pants, and slid the zipper down. He got down on one knee and helped her shimmy out of her pants, feeling reassured he was doing good when she placed a hand on his shoulder for balance.

 _Scully's in her underwear in front of me, Scully's in her underwear in front of me, Scully's in her underwear in front of me._ The mantra repeated in his head like a taunt as he folded her pants, trying to take a moment to calm down a little bit. This was a lot of trust she was displaying in him and the last thing he wanted her to think was that he was getting off on her vulnerability.

When he returned his focus to her, she had turned around and was exposing her back to him. Slowly, he moved closer, so that he could practically feel her body heat radiating off of her in waves. He lifted his nervous fingers to her bra clasp and undid it, with a bit more struggle than he would have liked. _What can I say? It's been a long time._

He immediately felt the weight of her breast when the clasp was undone, and he slid the straps down her shoulders, trying his hardest to ignore the intimacy of the act. Turning back around, he saw she could handle the underwear herself, as she was starting to ease it down her hips, and he averted his gaze until she had pulled a towel around herself. She turned around with a smile, along with flaming red cheeks he was positive matched his own. "Thank you Mulder, that's all I needed."

"Please just shout if there's anything you need," he offered.

She nodded and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He let out a long breath, but didn't leave his spot until he heard she was in the tub safely.

He went into his room, keeping the adjoining door cracked so he could hear if she needed anything. Her bath lasted around thirty minutes and then she was out and in the room. He could hear her messing through some things, but she hadn't called out for him yet. "Mulder, can you come here?" _Spoke too soon._

Even though she called him in, he still knocked on the slightly ajar door so he wouldn't barge in on her privacy. When she gave the affirmative, he saw her sitting on the bed in her normal silk shorts and top. "What's up?"

"I got my pants on and my sling through the arm hole, but I need you to button up my top," she mumbled. Scully was a very independent woman, Mulder was honestly willing to bet she had asked for help more times in the last hour than she had in years, and he knew that took a lot for her. He felt honored that she entrusted him this much.

Making his way to kneel in front of her sitting form, he was brainstorming every gross thought he possibly could to distract himself from Scully's intense cleavage being exposed by the gaping open shirt, he could see her poking through the fabric ever so slightly, and the smell of her body wash was invading his senses. He had a rhythm going up with every button. Button, _Skinner naked,_ button, _A Lone Gunmen orgy,_ button _, the cigarette smoking man in a thong._ He continued the process until her shirt was completely done up. He then reached the sling strap around her and started putting it back together on her good shoulder.

"Thank you for all your help, Mulder. I'm sorry for being such a bother." _That's so Scully, injures her arm in two places, but is still worried about being an inconvenience._

"I just want to help you in whatever way I can," he reassured, finishing the strap. He pulled back, but not before placing a tender, loving kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Scully. Please let me know if there's anything else you need. I'm just a holler away."

"Thank you, Mulder," she smiled, accepting the fact he was now tucking her into bed. When he finished, before he left, she grabbed his hand and placed a kiss onto his palm. "Goodnight." _My love for this woman is endless. I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much._ He beamed down at her little head poking from under the covers and turned off her light lamp, letting her fall into a peaceful sleep.

 **Please feel free to leave a review and let me know how you feel! Also IMPORTANT UPDATE: I have started "Words of Lust" like I had mentioned. If you go onto my page, Chapter One was posted earlier tonight. So if you like this story and want to see a smutty version, the games have begun! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	21. Unforgettable

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the condolences for my cat. I really appreciate it :) A few chapters ago, I tried writing Early MSR, now I'm going to take a crack at Late MSR. By late, I mean later in the original series, like post-them** ** _obviously_** **getting together. I haven't gotten the nerve to try older MSR, maybe one day. Also, I know I really suck major ass and have never given a heads up that I allude to many plot points in the show, but this chapter exponentially so, so I figured I'd let you know there are a lot of spoilers for season 8/9 ahead. Hope you enjoy!** **  
**

Unforgettable : (adjective) impossible to forget; very memorable.

He had told her in the most Mulder way possible, completely out of the blue, with no rhyme or reason. They were on a case in Illinois, it wasn't the most complex or unusual case, but it was emotionally and physically exhausting. They ended up having to stay the night in the ER to get some antibiotics. Per usual, they had managed to get a shared room, the fabric curtain masquerading in place of the usual adjoining door.

She didn't even remember what exactly she had said, she thinks she had mentioned the possibility of vampirism being an explanation for a facet of the case. She mentioned it just to appease him because she knew that's where his mind had gone, he knew that too. Scully knew Mulder always appreciated the fact she offered up his theories without condescension, she validated it as he would have, mentioned supporting cases and relevant evidence before launching into Scully-mode. Working with Mulder, you picked up on random facts. After nine years, she had basically become an expert in the occult and the paranormal.

She remembered there had been silence, she figured he had fallen asleep. After a moment, she heard his slippers scuffling across the linoleum and she watched the thin curtain draw back, revealing a haggard, but nonetheless content Mulder. She waited a moment for him to speak whatever was on his mind. The sound of the clock ticking was as loud as thunder due to the blanket of silence that had settled in the room, but it wasn't uncomfortable. There were no uncomfortable silences between them anymore.

"I love you." It wasn't a declaration, it wasn't a reassurance, it wasn't said seeking validation. The words rolled off his tongue with the ease and conviction.

"I know." She did. He showed her every day. He had even said it all those years ago when he was laying drugged in that hospital bed. Hearing it again didn't stop the gratitude and satisfaction that seeped into her heart. "I love you too."

"I know." He smiled at her, probably relieved he finally got to hear the words back. 'Oh brother' probably hadn't been the answer he had wanted back in the day.

She shifted over in her bed and patted the space next to her. Mulder didn't need to be told twice. He slid under her comforter and pulled her body into his with elegant fluidity and their bodies molded together like two puzzle pieces. They slept better than either of them had for years, each of their dreams continuing where they left off when they opened their eyes.

Their first time came a month or two later. It didn't come as a surprise to either of them that she was the one to initiate it. Their dates had been steady and continuous. Enjoying the intimacy they had been dreaming of for years finally manifesting itself. He dropped her off at her door and kissed her goodnight.

The door was shut for maybe thirty seconds before the loneliness of her apartment consumed her. There was no reason for her to have to be alone when there was a man with unrelenting love in his heart dying to be with her. She ran out into the hall and was thrilled to see he had only made it a few steps. She wondered how many times he had lingered outside her apartment, waiting for an invitation to come inside. Based on the relief on his face when she asked him to come to bed with her, it had been more than a few times.

It didn't matter where she was or how long it had been. She could remember every aspect of being with Mulder. The strength of his body against her own, the love in his touch as he felt her, the gratitude in his eyes when she touched him with the same love. It feels almost impossible to describe. Can one describe what it feels like to breath? To pump blood through the body? When something is so natural, so completely meant to be, words can't do it justice.

It felt like fate. Mulder was never one to let Scully suffer alone. He had been by her side since day one, and they had been practically inseparable ever since. The fact she found out his child was growing inside her at the same time he went missing felt like Mulder was cosmically telling her that he would still be with her. He would. She never doubted that.

No matter how confident she was in this belief, it didn't alleviate her overwhelming sadness. There was no place safe. Everywhere she went was permeated with the memories of him, there was no escape, and trying to do so would be a fruitless effort she had no desire to pursue. So, she recreated him when she was alone. She would lay in his bed and inhale his scent on the pillow, cuddling the clothes that had been strewn carelessly on his bed as he left the door for, what he didn't know would be, the last time in a while.

She would take her showers at his apartment as much as she could, using his hair and body washes. She smells were powerful in the humid space, and if she closed her eyes, she could pretend he was standing behind her like he had hundreds of times before. Occasionally, she would place her hands on her stomach, rubbing the only tangible part of Mulder she had, and after a few months, she felt a kick against her palm.

Some days, she wished she was like other women. She wished she craved ice cream, or spicy food, or chocolate. _She wished she had a husband by her side._ It would have been less cruel. Instead, as her stomach began to swell, she craved only three things; sunflower seeds, sweet tea, and Mulder. She had a bag of seeds on her person at all times, the empty shells around her felt like a representation of how empty she felt. Of all the things she craved. This was most definitely Mulder's son.

Their relationship had always been unforgettable, she wished finding his body would be. She had ghost cramps that night. The doctors said it was from the stress, she figured the baby was mourning with her.

Having him back was all she ever wanted. Before she told him about her pregnancy, she would have said the happiest she had ever seen him was when she said I love you back. That had been nothing compared to the smile that broke out on his face when he felt his child, the eternal manifestation of their love, kick against his hand.

The birth hadn't gone as intended, but that didn't matter to her. What mattered to her was the memory of seeing William in Mulder's arms. A picturesque representation of paternal love and affection, when he looked at her and kissed over their child, she knew it was the happiest moment of her entire life. She was so excited to spend the rest of her life with this man, it was like she was living in a dream.

She should have realized all dreams come to an end. Their life had never been fair, she was naive to think a child might have changed that. He was gone, again. They had been able to contact over emails for the past few months, but after the train fiasco, she didn't even know if he was still alive.

Why was this a recurring theme of her life?

William was his father's son. Soothed by Scully's touched, lulled by Scully's voice, nothing but love in his eyes when he looked up at her. He was even a little spooky. If only Mulder could know how much his son was like him.

She wasn't completely and totally alone anymore. Going through his absence the first time was hard enough. She withdrew, she was mean, she didn't want anyone's help. She couldn't go through that again, she had a child now. Doggett helped, but Monica was a heaven sent.

She hadn't been this close to another female since Melissa. She had her mother, but she couldn't talk about most things with her mother, it wasn't her fault, she just wouldn't understand. Monica was patient, she was kind, and she was odd. She would never say Monica was taking Mulder's place, but she was glad that the other adult figure in William's life right now was such, _a believer._

When she looked at William, she couldn't help but imagine what Mulder would do for him. What he would tell him, how he would hold him, she always imagined they would have a yin and yang parenting style, their differences coming together for perfect unity. There were things Scully couldn't do, and she had felt like she was robbing William of the life that _should_ have been.

One day, Monica came over so Scully could take a nap. After, she didn't know how long, she woke up and made her way down the hallway, following a rhythmic voice. When she got to the doorway, she realized Monica was telling William a story to go to bed, filled with dramatically humorous voices and grand gestures. It took a moment, but Scully realized what the story was. _She was reenacting an episode of Star Trek. Mulder's favorite episode of Star Trek._

Monica didn't know that, she was being herself. This whole thing was something Scully had no doubt Mulder would have done. Picturing Mulder standing there, sharing his favorite show with his son, she was overwhelmed with grief and emotion; so she crept back to her room, crawled under the covers, and cried. Scully was eternally grateful for what she was doing, what she was bringing to the table for her son, but she wished it was Mulder doing that with every fiber of her being.

William was six months old now, and she still didn't know where Mulder was. He would start talking in a few months, he would go to school in a few years. She and William were going to start building memories soon. How much of this was Mulder going to miss? Would the word 'dad' be vague and meaningless for William? She was scared, Mulder was an unforgettable, extraordinary man to her, she thought about him every minute of everyday. But for William, would there be any memories of Mulder for him to even forget? She didn't want Mulder just to be 'that enigma that makes mom cry' in Williams mind.

She sat in her bed, his clothes splayed out on the bed, the pillow next to hers sprayed with his cologne. She looked out the window, the moon beaming down at her, Mulder's words about starlight resonating in her mind. She wiped a fallen tear from her cheek and whispered to the night, "Please come home."

 **Okay, that was a lot different than what I normally do, so I hope you don't hate it. Also, I absolutely love Monica Reyes, sorry if you don't feel the same, but she did SO MUCH FOR SCULLY/WILLIAM, I HAD TO PAY RESPECT TO THAT. Also, for anyone that still doesn't know, Words of Lust is up and has three chapters. Feel free to check it out! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	22. Value

**Author's Notes: Hello, sorry for the delay! I just wanted to put it out there that if you're here reading the story years from now, hell, if you're here in 2028, say hi! Thank you for finding this random ass fic and reading! I appreciate you! Also, go you for keeping the X-Files fandom alive and well after all this time. I love you, and when I'm 31 and I get an email notification about a review from this fic I wrote years ago, it will warm my X-Phile heart. Anyhow, enjoy!**

 **Side note: This chapter contains some language/some vulgar themes, just incase that bothers anyone.**

Value: (verb) consider (someone or something) to be important; have a high opinion of.

If Mulder was being honest with himself, there are really only a few things in life he cherishes; Scully, his life's work, and his sister's memory. The order of importance has shifted over time, but in the last few years Scully has consistently been at the top of the list. He didn't want it to come across in the sappy 'she's what keeps me going' way, but in all actuality, _she was what kept him going._ He couldn't have done this, couldn't have come this far, without her dedication and sacrifice. His work maybe hasn't necessarily gotten him closer to finding out the truth, but it brought Scully into his life and for that he would be eternally grateful. She was his confidant, the only person he trusted, the woman he loves, and so much more.

Which is probably why he didn't take kindly to people who didn't treat her with respect.

Mulder was not a violent man, he never had been. Fighting just wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but that's not to say he never raised a fist. Today was just the first time in years.

It had been raining, so he figured instead of dealing with soggy clothes and shoes, he would use the track at the Hoover Building. He got a few odd stares, many people were simply surprised to see him emerge from the basement. He had been an enigma in the mind of many, actually seeing him must have been a shock. However, the problem didn't occur until he was in the locker room.

"Did you see Spooky's here? _"_ A taunting voice echoed in the room. Mulder was in the restroom, so he had the luxury of being a voyager. He was getting a first hand glimpse into what people actually said about him. He presumed it was going to be what he'd been hearing for years. He hadn't expected them to take a turn so fast.

"Spooky Mulder? His hot piece of ass partner here too?"

"Do you think I'd be in here with your ugly ass if I had an opportunity to watch Dana Scully prance around in all hot and sweaty in skin tight clothes? Get a grip."

Mulder had been taken by surprise at the vulgarity of the men's words, but he had been in enough locker rooms to know how men could be. However, that didn't stop his jaw from clenching in irritation.

"How the hell does that alien obsessed freak get a partner like that? No wonder he's never been promoted, probably too busy getting hard over his partner to get any work done."

"You think they're fucking?"

"Hell, if he's not fucking her, I will. She's so tiny, I bet you could just throw her around."

Mulder was on edge before, but now he was just plain pissed off. He knew the rumors, and he knew, much to his chagrin, that rumors were all they were. It didn't bother Scully and it _certainly_ didn't bother him. This was just the first time he had ever heard anyone talk about Scully in this way. He knew others regarded her as attractive, anyone with eyes would, but the imagery of these men, who didn't know a thing about her, throwing her around like a ragdoll just for their sexual pleasure absolutely infuriated him.

"Do you think she's a screamer, or do you think she just whines and pants?"

"If you can hear the sounds she's making, you're obviously not taking advantage of those full fledged blow job lips. One time I was in a meeting with her, and I swear to god I didn't hear a word that came out of her mouth. All I could focus on was the thought of ramming my dick down her throat."

Mulder reveled in the sound of Scully's voice. Her laugh, her scientific theories, her words of reassurance, her words of affection, he hung off of every syllable as if she was revealing the secrets of the world. Sometimes he would call her just to hear the sound. _These men didn't even care._

He couldn't sit through anymore.

He stood up from the stall he had been in and barged out, greeted with the sight of three random men he had seen periodically around the Hoover Building over the years. Men who had probably never even had a conversation with Scully, let alone any other female. He moved over to his locker, glaring at them as he passed, but it didn't perturb them.

"Well, speak of the devil."

"Mulder, we were having a debate, maybe you would know the answer."

He glared at the one who asked the question, a tech geek he saw in the lab occasionally, "Excuse me?"

"Come on," he said, making a grandiose gesture with his hands, playing bold to his audience of misfit men, "What's Scully like in bed?"

"Christ, have some respect. You sound pathetic," Mulder sneered as he entered his locker combination, getting out his bag and setting it on the bench.

"Lighten up Spooky, I was just curious. I personally am under the belief that she'd do whatever she's asked. Usually when someone's an uptight bitch on the streets, she's a freak in the sh-" His sentence was cut off by Mulder's fist connecting with his jaw.

To be honest, the rest was a testosterone fueled blur. Retrospectively, Mulder realized that going three against one probably wasn't the best plan. He remembered a lot of hitting and kicking happening, but he was pretty proud with how he fared. After a couple moments, someone must have heard the scuffle because some other men barged in and broke it up.

When they were asked what happened, neither party spoke up. Mulder had started it, but the men didn't want to face the possibility of having a sexual harassment violation on their records, which they knew would happen if they spoke up. Mulder wasn't going to instigate it though because, as much as he wanted them to get reprimanded, he didn't want what was said about Scully to be immortalized in an FBI report. She deserved better than that. In the end they were penalized for fighting on the property and asked to leave for the rest of the day. Mulder just went home, but he heard the other men talk about getting checked out at the hospital.

He figured he would be able to hide this, but heaven knows gossip spreads like wildfire, and after thirty minutes of being home, there was a frantic knock at the door. He didn't even need to look through the peephole to know the whirlwind he was unleashing into his home.

"Mulder, I swear to god I can't leave you alone for a second! A fight? What are you, a teenager? Since when did you even use the track there?" He knew she had probably prepared more when she practiced her rant on the way here, but her eyes widened and her tone shifted when she saw his face, "Oh my god, Mulder."

She took a few steps across the room so she was standing right in front of him, delicately running her fingers over the bruises he hadn't even looked at yet but could sure as hell feel. Staring down at her, he saw pure concern in her eyes and it warmed his heart. "Mulder, did you go to a hospital?" He shook his head and saw Scully morph into doctor mode in front of his eyes. "Of course not. Why did I even ask," she muttered under her breath.

She pulled out a chair for him and motioned for him to sit down and he readily complied. Mulder never played sick or got injured on purpose, but any excuse to be doctored up by Scully was an opportunity he was more than eager to take.

She shimmied out of her jacket before disappearing into his bathroom, reemerging a few moments later with his five dollar first aid kit he bought at Walgreens. The fact she didn't even have to ask amused him to no end.

She set the supplies down on the table next to him and started working her magic. "Are you going to tell me?" She asked while she was cleaning a cut that had apparently been on his forehead.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to let me know why I came into work, only to be met with an empty room and rumors you were in a brawl?" She spoke softly and he could hear her displeasure seeping through her words. She never liked being out of the loop. _Especially when it came to him._

He didn't know what to say though. He wanted to be honest with her, but he didn't want to repeat those words back to her. He had paused too long because he would feel her normally gentle hands becoming a little rougher on his wound. "I just got in a fight in the locker room after my run."

"I can see that," she sighed sarcastically, "Why?"

"I just got pissed off." The words sounded timid coming out of his mouth and he knew he was just adding to her burning curiosity.

"Wait, you were the one that started it?"

"No. Well-I threw the first punch, but I didn't start it." She threw him a speculative glance before putting neosporin on a band aid.

"Did they say something that upset you?" He let her hold his head still with a gentle hand as she placed the band-aid over the cut. Once free, he simply shrugged in response, hoping that was enough.

"Were they making fun of you, or teasing you in some way?" Her voice was laced with the nurturing concern that he had only ever received from her. She moved so that she was crouched in front of him, her hands resting on his knees. It was a power move so he would have to look at her. It worked.

She was relentlessly understanding and infinitely patient. He never questioned his love for her, but moments like these solidified it even more for him. He didn't deserve the love and attention of this exquisite woman. "No-no. Not really."

He saw the glimmer in her eyes as the lightbulb went off, her mouth dropping down into a small 'o'. "They were talking about me, weren't they."

He couldn't lie to her, so he just lightly nodded. She didn't say anything, but he felt shame flushing his cheeks and the guilt residing in the pit of his stomach. Scully was a grown woman, she didn't need barbaric displays of masculinity on her behalf. "And that's why you started the fight, because they were talking about me?"

She hadn't moved her position or her gaze, so she wasn't too pissed yet. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Mulder, you're not a violent man. What could they have possibly been saying to set you off that much?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he started picking at the skin around his nail to give him something to focus on, "They were being crude. Talking about you like a piece of meat, and completely disregarding you as a person. They brought up the rumor, you know, the normal one, and acted like I was to just _join in_. Like after this many years of working with you, all I can focus on is how attractive you are. As if I didn't value our relationship or you as a woman, a scientist, a doctor, or an agent. You mean the absolute world to me. It just infuriated me and one of them called you a bitch and I lost it and went off."

The silence after his rant was deafening as he waited for a reaction. He felt his heart hammering in his chest and his blood pounding in his ears. _I said too much, I said too much, I went too far, I made her uncomfortable._

He froze when he felt her stand up, afraid she was going to walk out the door and leave. He was shocked when he felt her place a tender kiss to the crown of his head before wrapping her arms around his head in a sweet hug. His head was cushioned by her chest and he could hear her heart was beating in time with his own. After a moment, he tentatively raised his arms and wrapped them around her, hands meeting at the small of her back, pressing her closer to him.

He felt her words tickle his head more than he heard them, "I adore you, Mulder. Thank you."

He didn't know what she was thanking him for, standing up for her or the expression of his sentiments; but what he did know, was that he could never find the words to express how grateful he was for this moment. If he could be in her arms for the rest of his life, he wouldn't give it a second though. It was like being home.

 **Sorry if the last part was awkward, I didn't know how to end it. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know how you felt, and best wishes to everyone on their life endeavors! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	23. Wonderful

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay! I had some technical difficulties, but I'm back! Also, I got a lot of feedback on the last chapter asking to see a jealous Scully, so I wanted to incorporate that into this chapter, it's not as huge a theme as it was in the last chapter, but still included! Hope you enjoy!**

Wonderful: (adjective) inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous.

For as long as Scully had worked there, the FBI had held an extravagant annual banquet in December to honor achievements from the past year. In normal Mulder-fashion, he had managed to find a way for them to conveniently be away on a case for the past six years. This time was different. Skinner was being recognized for twenty years of service, and Scully insisted they go to support him. After all, in a weird way, he was their friend and one of the few people who respected their work, even if he didn't understand it.

She could tell this was the last thing in the world Mulder wanted to do, but he would never say no to her. He did specify that he would only go if they went together, quickly clarifying just to keep each other company, and she had readily agreed. _As if she'd ever want to go with anyone else._

She knew this was going to be uncomfortable for him, he didn't even like venturing above the basement due to the snickers and glances of the other agents, let alone spend four hours at a banquet with them. The fact he was still willing to endure it, just for her, was extremely touching.

To be honest, the reality of how close to a date this was didn't set in until she was trying on her third dress. The first was too matronly, the second didn't fit her right, but the third was flattering to every curve of her body. It was a floor length, black dress with a high slit on her right leg, reaching her upper thigh. The upper bodice was snug, off the shoulder, and made her modest cleavage look fantastic. She looked fantastic. It may have been a little revealing, compared to her normal attire, but she knew Mulder would love it.

She paused in the mirror and looked at herself in shock. _Everytime she put on a new dress, she imagined what Mulder's reaction would be. That was how she was making her decisions._ She let out a nervous breath as she contemplated the implications of them doing this together. It was bold, arriving together to a work function, arm in arm, dressed up to the nines. No matter what they called it, it was a date, and everyone would know it.

Normally, she would just say it didn't matter that people were obsessing about the status of her relationship, but normally she wasn't right alongside them doing the same thing. She had to admit, when Mulder said he would only go if she would be with him the whole night, her mind was filled with unpartnerly thoughts. It was beyond flattering. If she was being completely honest with herself, she always loved being the center of Mulder's unyielding attention.

Speaking of which, he was going to be here at anytime now and she still had to do her makeup and hair. He offered to come pick her up, and she was never one to turn down extra time with Mulder. Plus driving in heels is a bitch.

She had just finished setting her hair with hairspray, her hair was so short trying to do anything fancy was a fruitless effort, when she heard Mulder knocking at her door. He was usually _never_ early to anything, so this spoke to his excitement. On bare feet, she padded to the front door and swung it open in a grand sweep.

"Hey Scu-holy shit." He didn't even try to hide his appreciation as his eyes did a generous sweep of her body, eyes practically bulging out of his head. His response filled her with a sense of pride, and something else, and her body felt hot under his gaze.

She took his moment of distraction to take a glance at his apparel. Mulder was always a well-dressed man, but _wow_ , she couldn't remember a time he had ever looked _this_ good. He broke the silence first with breathless admiration, "Scully, you look radiant."

"You don't look so bad yourself," she laughed as she turned around, beckoning him to follow. She wasn't done getting ready yet, but she also just wanted to show off how good her ass looked in this dress. The whistle under his breath was enough to let her know he noticed too.

He closed the door when he came in and continued to follow her. "I just have to finish my makeup and then I'll be good to go. You could wait with me and keep me company, or you could wait on the couch, whatever you prefer." There wasn't even a tiny falter in his step, but she hadn't expected there to be. When presented with the option of being with her or away from her, there never any questioning what he'd choose.

She sat down in front of the big vanity in her bedroom as he awkwardly stood in the doorway, his eyes dancing between watching her and wanting to commit every aspect of her room to his memory. He'd been in here before, more than once, but it was usually under circumstances that didn't allow him to enjoy the rarely explored intimacy of being in her personal space.

She picked up her eyeshadow and started coating her lids, but still watching his reflection. "Mulder, I promise I don't bite. You can sit on the bed if you want. I'll only be like five minutes," she teased. Apparently an invitation is all he needed because he eagerly walked passed the doorframe and did a, not so subtle, sweep of the room, looking at the small details of the 'Life of Scully' he rarely saw. She started working on her eyeliner by the time he finally sat on her bed, he was trying to be discreet, but she saw him run his hands over where she slept at night. _Funny, I've imagined his hands there many times before._

"Thank you for agreeing to come with me, I know this is going to be a drag, but I'm happy I'm with you," she told him as she lined her waterline, creating a subtle cat-eye. She could see in her peripheral that he was watching her in fascination.

"Scully, I'd follow you into the depths of hell if it meant I could see you in a dress like that," his tone was joking, but she knew he was anything but. She smiled coyly in response, knowing he could see it, as she applied a coat of dark mascara.

"That's amazing," Mulder said out of nowhere.

"What is?" She asked putting her eye makeup away, and applying a tiny bit of blush.

"You're so talented. You still look totally like Scully, but you look, for lack of a better word, fierce. Not that you don't always, but you're really good at that," he laughed, clearly embarrassed by his lack of eloquence, but wanting to compliment her nonetheless.

She laughed and he was clearly relieved she appreciated his words. She didn't know what prompted her next action, but she pulled three lipsticks out of her bag; a very neutral pink that she wore frequently, her favorite deep red, and a deep plumb. Turning to face him, she held the three out, color sides facing him and stated, "Pick one."

His eyebrows shot up a little bit, "Me?"

She nodded and he looked at the lipsticks being offered to him as if it was the biggest responsibility she had ever placed on him. He stared at each tube before flitting his gaze to her lips, clearly imagining the color on her. After a moment he pointed to the red one, "This one always looks really nice on you."

She was secretly ecstatic about the fact he clearly paid enough attention to her lips to recognize the shade, but outwardly she just smiled and thanked him before delicately applying the shade to her lips. Having him choose her lipstick was strikingly intimate, as if he was kissing her vicariously through the action. Her eyes flitted to his reflection in the mirror and she saw he was watching intently, she also noticed his tongue dart out to wet his lips. _It was always astounding how they were always on the same wavelength._

She placed he cap back on the tube without taking her eyes off him and he met her gaze, offering a coy smile at having been caught staring. "I'm ready if you are," she exclaimed. He got off hr bed, helped her up, and led her to the car, arm in arm.

When they made their way into the ballroom, as usual when they entered a room, all eyes focused on them. However, instead of pure scrutiny, there seemed to be an unbridled curiosity and admiration. As predetermined in the car, they quickly made their way to the bar, trying to ignore the murmurs around them.

" _Wow, the Spooky's really clean up well. Damn."_

 _"Did they come together?"_

 _"Of course they came together, they got married a few years back, I mean, obviously."_

The rumors just got more and more outrageous with each passing year, but they weren't bothered. They made their way to the bar and staked claim on two barstools, intending to stay there the whole night.

Of course, luck was never on their side. They had each had one drink, enjoying some small chit chat and banter when a pair of agents they had worked with before came up and interrupted them. Agent Davenport and Agent Holtz were partnered up around the same time as Mulder and Scully, however, they did not have the close relationship she treasured with Mulder. Agent Davenport was a mixture of Barbie and a blowup doll while Agent Holtz was about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Scully had never been a fan of Agent Davenport. Last time they worked together, she just ogled Mulder the entire time; Mulder was oblivious, Scully was irritated. However, the entire time it was happening, Scully had to listen to Holtz drone on and on about his favorite channel changing the lineup, and now Leave it to Beaver was on at eight instead of nine or something. She couldn't fully remember, her mind had been preoccupied at the time.

"Fox! Long time no see. Don't you look sexy?" Davenport cooed extravagantly. _Oh yeah, I forgot she has the subtlety of a chainsaw to the face._

"Hello Kathryn, long time no see.I still go by Mulder, by the way. You look well," he replied politely, standing up to greet her. Mulder's chivalry towards women was one of Scully's favorite aspects of him, but she preferred when it was focused on her.

She stood up as well, solidarity and all, and smiled at the man in front of her. "Nice to see you again Agent Holtz." The aforementioned man took her hand and placed a cold, chapped kiss to the back of her hand and she had to repress a shutter.

"Please, call me Kate. Did you guys see there was a dancefloor? Come on Fox, dance with me while we catch up." Mulder didn't seem to have a choice in the matter as _Kate_ dragged him away. He cast an apologetic look over his shoulder as he followed the storm, leaving Scully alone with the Crypt Keeper.

"Well, what do you say Dana? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" He joked, offering his hand. With a polite smile, she accepted and followed him to the dancefloor. There were maybe ten pairs out on the dancefloor, and nine of them were just swaying gently to the song playing. The exception being her partner and Davenport, the latter was somehow trying to turn 'Africa' by Toto into a grinding experience.

She kept about a foots distance in between her and Holtz, he placed his hands around her shoulders and she, slightly confused, placed her hands on his non existent hips. She didn't fully care about the awkward position they were dancing in, instead, she was just focused on her partner dancing with that woman.

She didn't mean to sound be so territorial, she just couldn't shake that familiar pit gnawing at her stomach. Mulder was always so kind and attentive. He would never do anything to purposefully hurt someone's feelings. So here he was awkwardly trying to keep distance between him and his dancing partner. She could gauge him better than she used to in the past. She used to think his kindness was flirtation and she would get so agitated with jealousy that it would blind her. Now, after seeing the way he looked at her when they were close, she knew what Mulder's face looked like when he was actually enamoured.

She could hear Holtz's ramblings in the back of her mind, but she was too busy formulating her plan to break them up. As soon as the song ended, she turned to him, interrupting him, and said "I'm so sorry Holtz, I promised Mulder I'd dance with him."

Her abruptness didn't faze him at all. "Go ahead little lady. It's only natural you'd want to dance with your husband." The earnesty in his voice was beyond amusing.

"Thanks for understanding," she replied with a straight face. She quickly made her way over to Mulder and inserted herself practically in between them. "I'm sorry Kathryn, I told Mulder he had to dance with me when this song played."

She honestly didn't even know what song was playing, she vaguely recognized the introduction, but the woman's reaction made her realize what it was. She just said she wanted Mulder to dance with her to 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You' by Elvis Presley. She knew her face was bright red and Mulder was grinning at her in amusement. "Awww, that's so romantic! I didn't know you guys were together! Here," the woman grabbed Mulder and Scully and practically shoved them into each other's arms. "I'll leave ya be!"

Finally left alone again, she glanced up to look at Mulder and saw he was looking at her with a shiteating grin. "You know, I don't remember you making this dance request to me, but I'm more than happy to oblige." He raised his hands and rested his palms on her hips, pulling her to him. She draped her arms over his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. She was too shy for the intimacy of eye contact right now, she needed a moment to recover from her flush.

The romantic words of the song rang out in the ballroom and she knew this was going to be a moment she remembered for the rest of her life and she was enjoying every second. It was all overwhelmingly wonderful. After a few measures, she felt a vibration against her ear and breath against her scalp and she realized he was softly singing to her.

Mulder had sung on occasion, mostly in the car when he thought she was asleep or when he was taking a shower in a motel and he underestimated how thin the walls are. She knew he had a good voice, and having him sing so full of passion to her, was overwhelmingly sweet.

She pulled her head back to look up at him and he looked straight into her eyes while he finished the song, drawing out the last few words, " _And I can't help falling in love with you."_ She knew she had a goofy grin on her face, but it was probably the exact same as the one he wore.

They continued to dance for she didn't even know how long, gently swaying against each other, relishing in the contact. Eventually she had laid her head back on his shoulder, smelling the spot he had sprayed his cologne, the one he only used for special occasions. IN a voice so soft, she wasn't sure he'd be able to hear, she whispered into his skin "I love you too." She felt him squeeze her tighter and she swore in that moment they became one.

 **Thank you so much for reading! Let me know how you felt, and have a great night! Also, HAPPY X-FILES NIGHT! THIS EPISODE LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN! (I HOPE). -Nicole (tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	24. Xanadu

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I loved everything about episode seven, and also, we got to see Dana Katherine Scully's vibrator. What a blessing. Lol, anyway, this one is new for me, it's technically a post-(original) series one and I've never written them at this stage before. Honestly, the timeline in between Season 9 and IWTB has always been confusing to me. Like, did they just stop running and everything was fine? Regardless, I hope you enjoy!**

Xanadu: (noun) an idealized place of great or idyllic magnificence and beauty.

He didn't know if he'd ever fully accept it, for so long it had just been an intangible idea that he held close to his heart. It was a fantasy that allowed him to have a glimmer of hope in this life where everything he believed in and loved usually ended up disregarded or dead. He squeezed the dainty hand interlaced with his just to reassure himself for the thousandth time that she was really there with him. He looked down and was met with a beaming smile from Dana Scully, his girlfriend, as they stood in the middle of their brand new home. _He had a home that he shared with Scully._

 _Girlfriend._ The word still sounded weird to him. The term felt so juvenile when referring to the woman he loved more than life itself. They had been through hell and back, side by side, the picture of dedication and trust; there would never be a word to properly encapsulate the intimacy of their connection. Soulmate would probably be the only thing to come close.

It started as a cover story, in all honesty. In those months on the road after the trial, each new city they hopped to included a new alias, but consistently, the cover stories always involved him saying. 'Hi, nice to meet you. My name is _, and this is my girlfriend _.' Then, one night out of the blue while she was laying in his arms, she looked at him and asked, "You consider this as serious as I do, right?"

At this time, he wasn't sure if she was referring to their life on the run or something else. "What do you mean?"

She started picking at the skin around her nails, a habit he recognized as a sign of insecurity. In a smaller voice, she mumbled, "Us. This." She made a gesture in between them as a signal.

He laughed a little bit at her needing to even ask, and she lightly glared at him, clearly feeling self-conscious at voicing her vulnerability. He kept the smile on his face and tightened his hold around her, pleased when she snuggled closer, burrowing into his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head, taking a moment to inhale the fresh smell of her shampoo, before reassuring her, "You are the most important person in the world to me. Our relationship is what keeps me going, knowing you'll be the first face I see in the morning, and the last I'll see when I close my eyes at night. I love you, Scully. So much."

He felt her smile against his chest and his heart felt like it was going to burst from how much he adored this woman laying in his arms. "I just-" she started hesitantly before sighing, "This is so embarrassing."

His curiosity piqued, he looked down to see the tops of her cheeks were dusted with a faint blush through the moonlight. He nudged her a little bit, "You can tell me anything."

"It's ridiculous, but sometimes I just get a little jealous when we're out and about using our aliases. I just wish when you introduce me to people as your girlfriend, it's _my_ name you say instead of whatever we made up that week. I get it, it's a matter of our safety, but I'm just so happy with you. I want to proclaim it to the world instead of hiding." He understood what she was saying, he felt the same way. He always felt guilty about the fact he was never able to provide her with the sense of stability and normalcy that she deserved, but he was glad to hear that, even in this whirlwind of chaos that was their lives, she was still happy.

"I wish that too, Scully," he murmured. He gently placed a hand on the side of her face, getting lost in the depth of her love shining through her eyes. "I wish we could be normal, but at this point, I don't think anything about our relationship has ever been ordinary." This earned him a small laugh and staying true to their no-holds-barred honesty, he continued, "But no matter what, Dana Katherine Scully, you are the woman I love. I may call you by many names to others, but every sentiment of love, every declaration that you're my girlfriend, it's all for _you_."

For the next few months, there was always an exhilaration in being so open with their love. After years of working for the FBI, having to hide every fleeting glimpse or touch in fear of being separated, or having their relationship used against them, it was nice to just _exist_ together. It didn't matter that the only people who knew were random no-names in the middle of nowhere, or that they were under different names. For once, they were recognized as partners in every sense of the word.

However, they could only run for so long. After about five months, Skinner just showed up at their hotel room unannounced. After taking in their state of undress with well-worn amusement, he told them that the files against Mulder were gone _,_ as were the people trying to investigate him. No rhyme or reason, no explanation, another unexplained mystery among the thousands that encompassed their lives. There was no longer a threat, but there were no jobs for them to go back to. The X-Files were closed. For once and for all.

That night, they got in Skinner's car and returned back to the lives they had left all those months ago. They were both surprised to see that both their apartments were immaculate. They looked untouched from the last time they saw them, free of dust or decay, even Mulder's fish were alive. They had just presumed maybe Skinner had kept them up and didn't think much of it. That first night back, they christened Scully's bed with their love and practically collapsed with exhaustion from the events of the day.

When they woke up in the morning, they found out why the apartments looked so good. A startled scream woke them both up with alarm, grabbing their weapons and pointing them at the figure in the doorway. When Scully exclaimed, "Oh my god!" and leapt into the figures arms, Mulder had still been confused, it wasn't until his eyes adjusted and he saw Agent Reyes did it all make sense.

"Your back! Oh my god, I missed you. Skinner said he was trying to find you, I didn't know he had. You look good, is everything okay?" The brunettes words came out in a hurried jumble as she practically spun the pyjama-clad Scully in her arms.

"Monica, I missed you too! Yeah, we just got back last night. Have you been cleaning my apartment?"

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind. I just didn't know what else I could do to help. I cleaned here and John would go to Mulder's and feed his fish." As she talked, she motioned to Mulder and in that moment fully took in what she had walked in on. A blush immediately painted her face and a shy smiled broke out on her face. "Oh! I'm so sorry-"

Scully cut her apology off with a proud declaration, expressed with months worth of repressed enthusiasm, "You're the first person I've been able to tell. Monica, Mulder and I are dating." The happiness in her smile was contagious and Mulder instantly felt absolute pride coarse through his veins.

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed to both of them, hugging Scully once again before teasing, "Do you have any other revelations to tell me? Like 'the sky is blue' perhaps?" Mulder laughed out loud at the comment and they spent the rest of the morning catching up.

They still felt a little shy being so out and open with their relationship, years of having it used against them made them jaded, so they pretty much kept it on a need to know basis, only telling the people closest to them. The list was relatively short; Scully's close family, Reyes, Doggett, and Skinner. Aside from Skinner, it was really just people close to Scully, but he was grateful for all of them and happy for any opportunity to show affection for her in front of others.

Over the next year and a half, they settled into their new lives. Mulder did freelance work on occasion whenever people sought out his expertise, whether it be as a profiler or as a paranormal investigator. Scully started working at a religious hospital, it was a bit of an adjustment for her after having worked on the deceased exclusively for so long, but she seemed to like it.

The only conundrum they faced was that they were in an eternal state of 'your place or mine.' Most of the time the answer was always Scully's place, it was nicer, it was cleaner, and it was more of a home. However, sometimes that was more of a curse than a blessing. There wasn't an inch of that apartment that didn't reminder her of William. Mulder couldn't count the number of nights he woke up to an empty bed and the sounds of faint sobs echoing in the hallway. He always got up and found Scully sitting next to the crib, still sitting there waiting to hold the baby that would never return.

While her apartment held so many fantastic memories of what was, it held too many ideals of what could have been.

There were no words he could say that would fully take away her burden. She knew he didn't resent her, it was a decision that had to be made. Life wasn't fair, they knew that better than anyone. It didn't make it any easier though.

So, sometimes they would spend the night at Mulder's apartment, just to get away from the pain. They had fun, but his place was small and cramped and screamed of bachelor pad. After switching on and off for so long, Mulder finally posed the idea of moving into a house together. He was worried she would reject him, thinking of giving up her apartment as her giving up the last connection she had to William. He was ecstatic when she readily agreed, understanding this would give them a fresh start to their life together.

So here they were, in the middle of their new home. It was a simple, two story house, on a big property in Virginia, and it was where he was going to spend the rest of his life with the woman of his dreams.

Moving didn't take as long as they had anticipated, for some of the items they just played 'yours or mine?' The bed was hers, it was the first place they ever had sex and had a lot of sentimental value. The same went for his couch, they spent so many of their early 'this is a date but we're not calling it a date's sitting on that couch watching movies. The rest of the furniture was Scully's because she has better tastes. Other than that, almost all the items from their apartments came, being the house was two times the size of their apartments put together.

The hardest time in the transition was dealing with their son's room. They knew they couldn't bring a crib that wouldn't be slept in, a changing table that would never be used, toys that would be cried on more than played with, but giving it away was a catharsis that needed to happen and was difficult to do. She cried, hell they both did, but eventually they donated the stuff to babies in need. She kept one box filled with the few items she wanted to keep; his blanket, the mobile, one pacifier, and one outfit. The box went into a closet, next to family memorabilia, and the light in her eyes gave him hope. It wasn't closure, that was something they would most likely always live without, but it was acceptance.

He didn't know if his excitement would ever dwindle down. After moving everything throughout the day, he walked around the house nearly ten times, reveling in the blend of their two lives coming together as one. All their belongings were intermixed and proudly existing as a symbol of their unity. It was a Xanadu he never thought he'd see outside of his dreams. What could he say? He'd always been a hopeless romantic.

"What are you smirking at?" She asked, looking up at him with mirth.

"I was just thinking that I still need to carry you over the threshold," he teased.

She smacked him lightly in jest and raised herself on her tiptoes so she could press a loving kiss to his lips. "Right now, I think I'd rather focus on christening our bed in our new house."

In a gallant sweep, he picked her up bridal style and carried her down the hallways to the bedroom like he would do so many times after, "Anything for you m'lady."

 **Hope you liked it! Also, since we're getting down to the end (so bittersweet!) I would really love and appreciate if you guys could tell me what your favorite chapters have been? I just want to learn from my writing and know what you guys reacted to the strongest or liked the best. So, if you have time, I would really love to hear from you! Of course, there are two more, so you could wait if you wanted to, I just didn't want this to be my final send off author's note, so I wanted to bring it up now. Love you all! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	25. Yearn

**Author's Note: Hello friends! So sorry for such an egregious delay, midterms were a bitch. Anyway, episode eight was so good. It was so classic X-Files. It was spooky, had a great twist, and even had throwback references. I'm all about it. Not gonna lie, I am sooo nervous for the finale, but we'll cross that bridge later. Also, since I switched back and forth every time, this is the last Scully POV chapter. Wow, what a journey. Hope you enjoy - Spoilers ahead for Fight the Future.**

Yearn: (verb) to have an earnest or strong desire; to feel tenderness; be moved or attracted.

It had been months since he tried to kiss her in his hallway. Eleven, to be specific. Call her optimistic, but she had hoped after everything was healed and resolved they could pick up where they had left off. They didn't. Instead, they went back to living in a constant state of innuendos and trepidation.

In all the time since then, it's only been brought up _twice_ , and it was only in shy acknowledgement. One time was when they had to run an errand to his place. While he was unlocking the door, her gaze was automatically drawn to the area in the hallway where it had almost happened. The harsh click of the door unlocking shocked her eyes back to his, only to see he was staring at her with a wistful grin. Neither of them said anything.

The other time was a little more verbal, but barely. It had been hot in their office so they cracked the window, and a bee got in. It buzzed around the room noisily until an agitated Mulder stood up and, in a violent slap, killed the bee against a filing cabinet. Under his breath, she heard him mutter, "God, I _hate_ bees."

She casually muttered back with a tinge of frustration, "Yeah, tell me about it." They locked eyes and the recognition was heavy in the room. She coyfully cocked and eyebrow at him, begging him to say something, but was interrupted by a phone call. It wasn't mentioned again.

As much as she wished she could deny it, in all honesty, she replayed that moment in the hallway on a daily basis _._ " His heartfelt admittance, the way his arms felt embracing her, the way his hands felt caressing her face, the look of pure love in his eyes as he leaned in, the velvet silk of his lips grazing her, _the sting of that fucking bee._ Some nights it made her sad, some angry, sometimes it got her off, but on nights like tonight, it made her drown her sorrows in booze.

It was rare, but it happened. Sometimes they would have a really good day, lots of flirting, maybe he touched her back one too many times, but then he said his goodbye for the day and they just parted ways. Instead of going home, she would go to a local bar and have a few rounds before hailing a taxi. It was just a little too depressing to go home and sulk alone at her apartment for hours. Drinking sometimes even enhanced her mood.

"Hey Dana, long time no see." The same bartender was there every time. He was around fifty, married, and had listened to her rant about Mulder far too many times not to be embarrassed a little.

"Hey Tony," she smiled, taking a seat at a secluded end of the bar.

"You want to start off with a Vodka Cranberry?" He asked, already preparing the drink.

"You know me so well," she laughed and he passed her the drink after a moment.

Per usual, Scully sat at the bar and read from a book she kept in her purse, tonight it was a Neil Gaiman novel. She enjoyed the time to herself, it distracted her, she either got a nice buzz or comfortably drunk, and she was never worried, Tony was a great bouncer as well as listener.

She figured it was because she was a relatively young woman sitting alone at a bar, but once or twice every time, some random man would come and flirt with her. Even though she was sexually frustrated, they were never enticing enough; not tall enough, hair wasn't brown enough, eyes not hazel enough, name not Fox Mulder enough. She would laugh, smile, let them but her a few drinks, and, when she gave him the signal, Tony would shoo them away. Usually, "she's with the feds," was enough.

Tonight was no different. She was on her third mixed drink, and sixty pages in, when a relatively handsome man sat next to her. She didn't catch his name, it didn't really matter, but his conversation was good and he bought her two shots and she was feeling good. Nameless man was telling her about an upcoming trip to Europe when her phone interrupted him. "Sorry about that," she mumbled as she reached for her phone.

"Scully," she said after trying to clear her throat of any possible slurring that would probably occur, realizing how drunk she was in that moment.

"Hey, it's me. I was just in your neck of the woods and I was wondering if I could stop by."

"Oh, hey Mulder! Yeah you totally can, but I'm not there," she was playing with the rim of her glass, heart tingling the prospect of Mulder wanting to see her.

There was a slight pause as Mulder processed her words, chuckling a little bit, "I wanted to see you, not your apartment. Where are you?" The amusement in his voice made her think he knew she was drinking, even though she was trying to hide it.

"I'm at the bar, Cool Beans, to be specif-ic," a hiccup embarrassingly slipping out.

"Babe, let me buy you another," Nameless declared, she glanced at him, forgetting he was even there still, and politely shook her head.

"Scully, are you with someone?" He was trying to sound amused but he couldn't hide the fear lacing his voice.

"No, no. I came here by myself and then," she paused and turned to Nameless, "What's your name?"

"Mark," he reminded her.

"Then Mark came and has been buying me drinks." She could practically hear Mulder's anxiety through the phone.

"Hey, I'm not sure I caught your name?" Namel-Mark interrupted.

"Dana," she said, not paying him much attention since she had Mulder on the phone.

"That fits, being you could definitely make me explode like Danamite," he boasted, laughing at his own joke.

Scully was cringing at the horrible name pun, but Mulder apparently overheard and was offended by the crudeness on her behalf, "Scully, I'll be there in a few minutes. _Don't go anywhere."_ She was met with a dial tone before she could respond.

She felt a goofy grin spread across her face as she quickly finished off the new shot in front of her and adjusted her clothing. She quickly ran her index fingers under her eyes, checking the pads for running eyeliner. What could she say, she was excited to see him even though she just had two hours ago.

When she was finished a few moments later, a voice broke her out of her reverie. "Hon, I don't know what you're fidgeting around for. You look beyond sexy in that little suit." Oh, he's still here.

She turned to him with a polite smile before saying, "Sorry, my partner's coming to drink with me. I appreciated your company though." Even in her state of inebriation, she realized how harsh of a send off that was.

"Aww, come on," he slurred, putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning closer, "Can't we have a little more fun?"

"No thank y-you," she slurred slightly, pushing him away.

He was about to lean back in when a strong hand clasped around his shoulder, pulling him back. "She said no." She followed the arm up to the face and saw a very stern Mulder glaring at the man he was touching. If looks could kill, Mark would be on the floor.

Regardless of Mulder's apparent irritation, she was ecstatic to see him. She knew her enthusiasm was partly fuelled by alcohol, but it didn't stop her from sending a beaming smile his way, "Mulder! You're here!"

Mark got up reluctantly before mumbling, "Damn, she barely even looked at me and you get that reaction after five seconds. Not fair dude," but luckily he left without any reluctance. Mulder watched him go before sitting down in the recently vacant spot.

"I missed you." The words came out of her mouth, but she was too drunk to feel any embarrassment. She half wished she hadn't gotten drunk tonight so she could have been at her apartment when he was going to make his unexpected visit. But he was with her now, and that's all that mattered.

He smiled at her words, "Scully, you saw me two hours ago."

"And I mi-ssed you after five minutes-s" she slurred, hailing Tony the bartender over.

"Scully, how much have you had to drink?" He laughed.

"Ummmm-" she started, tapping a finger on her lips, noticing his eyes were drawn to the motion.

"She's had three Vodka Cranberry's, two shots of Fireball, and one shot of Jager, and she's never gonna be interested in you buddy," Tony snapped, glaring at Mulder.

Scully reached out and put her hands on Mulder's shoulders, and whispered, not so quietly, "N-no, no, Tony, this is _Mulder_." She drew out his name with unnecessary emphasis, the man's eyebrows skyrocketing instantly in recognition from all her stories from the past few months.

"No shit! Well in that case, completely disregard that last comment," he told a very confused Mulder. Scully ordered her and Mulder each a Shiner beer and closed out her tab.

She turned back to Mulder and saw he was staring at her in complete fascination. "What?" she laughed, taking a swig of her beer.

"I've never seen you drunk before. You're so smiley," he said, swiging his own drink.

She swayed lightly on her barstool and Mulder's hand instinctively shot out to her thigh to stabilize her. His touch was electric and her own hand covered his to maintain the contact. "I'm just so happy to see you."

"Scully, you see me all the time," his eyes held an intensity she hadn't seen in a while. Like he was trying to take in a plethora of new information and was desperately burning everything into his memory.

"I know, but we never hang out," she whined.

"Scully, you pick up the phone and I'll be there in a heartbeat. I want to hang out too, that's why I had been coming over," he reassured, hand squeezing the part of her leg he was still touching.

A little twinge of self-consciousness made its way through her inebriation and she started playing with the rim of the bottle to avoid his gaze. "I-I know you'd come if I asked, but I don't want to feel like I'm burdening you or that you're j-just doing it to appease me." She felt his hand leave her leg before it was relocated to her chin, nudging her head to look at him.

His eyes held a mix of happiness and determination "Scully, I promise, from the bottom of my heart, I will _never_ consider you a burden. If anything, I'm an inconvenience to you."

She shook her head obnoxiously to emphasize her point, stopping when it made her dizzy, "No, no. Mulder, you are never an inconvenience to me! I love y-spending time with you." Her heart was pounding from her near-declaration of love and she quickly finished off the last sip of her beer in one sweep.

He smiled and finished his own drink before standing up and holding out his hand. "I think it's about time I take you home."

She grabbed his hand and slid out of the barstool and immediately fell into his waiting arms, relishing the strength and care he held her with. It was greedy, but she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him and inhale the scent of him she only ever got whiffs of. She smiled into his chest when she felt him fully return the hug, resting one hand supportively on her back, his unspoken territory, and the other cradled her head.

After a moment he pulled back, still keeping her steady and looked down at her. She kept resting her cheek on his chest, but met his gaze. "Scully, I need to get you home."

She drunkenly nodded and she heard a voice call from the bar, "I ordered you guys a cab, it should be here any minute."

She didn't take her eyes off Mulder as he gave the man words of appreciation. She also got to watch the bashful blush paint his face with the bartenders next words, "And buddy, if a bee is enough to stop you, but a damn can of Raid." Mulder looked back down at Scully for an explanation but she only chuckled in response, then grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the bar.

The cab was waiting for them and the ride was quick and smooth, she just rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the contact. When they pulled up in front of her building, Mulder paid the driver and helped Scully get out, holding a strong arm around her middle.

They were both relatively silent the whole elevator ride up, simply relishing the normally forbidden closeness. When they got to her hallway, she was reminded of why she got drunk in the first place. The kiss she had been yearning for for almost a year. Granted, wrong hallway, but still. A new found fervor filled hr body and she stood up straighter as Mulder unlocked her door with his own key. When they were inside Mulder noticed her new demeanor. Apparently her look of determination wasn't coming across as intense as she had hoped because he started chuckling, his eyes darting between her turned up chin and the hands on her hips. "Yes, Scully?" he prompted.

"Why haven't you tried again?" She was able to refrain from slurring, but it definitely didn't come out like the proclamation she wanted.

"I don't know what you mean?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Eleven months ago Mulder!" She loudly declared, causing him to raise his eyebrows, "You almost kissed me, but were cock blocked by a bee. I thought when we got back you might, I dunno, try again! But nooooo, you don't even talk about it! In case you didn't notice Mulder, I was leaning forward, I wanted that, but now I feel like you were just using it as a ploy to get me to stay. Why will you only love me when you're scared?" What she wanted to sound like a powerful speech faded to a melancholic plea.

Mulder's eyes widened at her proclamation and he quickly was shaking his head to dissuade her fears. "Scully, n-no, please don't think that." He took a step towards her and nudged her to look at him again. "I love you so, so much. Beyond words. You consume my every thought. You just never mentioned it and I didn't know if you wanted to bury it. You were upset at the time and I didn't know if it was something you regretted."

She was beaming at his words and cursing that, in a desperate attempt to meet what they assumed the other wanted, they had both postponed what they had both wanted so badly. "Mulder, I love you so much. The only thing I regretted was getting stung by the bee."

They both were openly relieved at the newfound revelation, spending a few moments just embracing each other. Scully was the first to break the silence, looking up at him, she whispered, "Can we try again?"

He bit his lip before mournfully groaning, "I can't right now because I still fear that you'll regret this in the morning and I would hate for you to think I took advantage of you while you were under the influence."

She groaned in response, "Mulder. Usually I love what a progressive man you are, but right now it's really being a pain in my ass." He heartily laughed in response but it faltered when he noticed she was still hungrily looking at him. "What if _I_ kissed _you_? Then it's on me, and I promise I will be thrilled with myself and you won't have to feel guilty."

He gave her an appreciative look and that was all she needed. She raised herself up on her toes and pressed a hungry kiss to his lips. He placed one hand on the small of her back as the other entangled itself in her hair. They stayed like that for a moment until he broke off and looked down at her, a goofy smile plastered on his face. The kiss was brief, but it was beautiful. "I'll have to return the favor when I'm positive you'll remember," he murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"I'm looking forward to it," she mused. He waited in the living room as she went into her bedroom and changed into her pyjamas, which consisted of underwear and an oversized T-Shirt. It took a little bit longer than normal due to her getting dizzy with every sudden movement, but when she was ready she called out for him to come in.

He tentatively wandered into her room, glancing around at the new territory before taking in her outfit, or lack thereof, with hungry eyes. He quickly averted his gaze back to her own amused one and smiled at her. "Will you spend the night with me? Just sleep next to me. It's something I've always wanted to do, share a bed with you lying next to me. I want to see you in the morning and remember that this really happened. I don't want to wake up and assume it was another dream and have you not mention it in fear I regret it."

When she mentioned she dreamt about this she saw the sight twinge of arousal pass over his face, quickly taken over amusement at her last sentiment. "You know me so well." She nodded proudly at his words and patted the bed for him to lay next to her.

He looked like he was about to say something, but after a quickly glance at her underwear-clad lower half, shrugged and took off his jeans. He must have been about to say he didn't have any pyjamas before figuring her would be no more indecent than she was. She looked at his muscular thighs appreciatively as he tucked himself under the covers with her. She turned off the bedside lamp and they were plunged into darkness. All the sudden, the exhaustion from today caught up with her and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open. She turned on her side and nestled into him. He wrapped a warm arm around her, pulling her closer and kissed the crown of her head. "I love you." The words tickled her head, and she swore no matter how many times he said it, her heart would always leap.

"I love you too," she whispered into his chest before slipping off to the most restful sleep of her life.

She woke up and immediately noticed two things. One: Her head pounded, two: her naked legs were entangled with a man's naked legs, a sensation she hasn't felt in over half a decade. She tentatively opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Mulder laying next to her, his face more peaceful than she had ever seen it before.

Memories of last night came rushing back to her and she could have cried from happiness. He loves her, and he knows she loves him. She remembered how great the kiss was, but it got a little hazy after that. She started to feel butterflies in her stomach. How did they end up basically naked in her bed? She really would have wanted to remembered their first time.

During her inner monologue his eyes opened and he was freely watching her, nervous anticipation. She immediately dissuaded his fears by leaning down and kissing him on the mouth, to which he eagerly responded. This kiss was more passionate than the last. Her mouth opened and it was all the prompting he needed. Their tongues touched and danced like they were meant for each other. Because they were.

After they broke apart, she laid back down on the bed in his arms and enjoyed the sensation. Figuring it would come up eventually, she asked "Mulder, I remember the kiss, but how did we end up in bed?"

"After the kiss you came in here and invited me, you said it was something you always wanted," he recounted to her with a smile, drawing lazy circles under the sleeve of the t-shirt. Something she's always wanted? _Fuck. They had sex and she didn't remember a single thing._

She sighed and he immediately tensed in self-conscious fear, "What?"

"I'm just really sad that I can't remember our first time having sex," he was silent for a moment and she shyly looked up at him through her lashes. Only to see he was smiling from ear to ear, with unabashed happiness on his face. _So apparently it was fantastic sex and I can't remember it, great._

"Why are you smiling? Was it good?" It was her turn to be self-conscious.

"I don't know Scully, but I'm more than willing to find out," his voice was saturated with amusement and enthusiasm.

Now she was just confused. "Wait, what?"

He used one of his hands to lightly brush her baby hairs out of her face as he enlightened her, "When you invited me in here last night you said you have always wanted to _share a bed with me._ That's all we did. We just laid down and fell asleep." She wasn't sure she had ever blushed harder in her entire life and it just egged him on. "I gotta say, Scully. I'm really appreciating how open you're being about what you want from me."

In all honesty, she probably would have been more mortified at her confession if he wasn't telling her he wanted the same thing by the way his eyes were clouded with lust and happiness. "Well, my memory might not be great, but I definitely remember after the kiss you said you'd return the favor," she teased.

She giggle when he rolled on top of her, "Ask and you shall receive," he declared before kissing her again.

Yeah, she'd remember, and it was way more than just _good._

 **That was fun and, if I'm not mistaken, the longest chapter of this fic. I can't believe we're so close to the end. To both this series, and the show in general. God my sentimental heart! Anyway, feel free to leave a comment, I love hearing from you guys! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	26. Zeal

**Author's Note: First off, Episode nine was fantastic, but I just want to know what she whispered! Second, wow. We're finally at the end. I've absolutely loved going on this journey with you! It has truly made this X-Files a season to remember. This story started after the first episode aired and I wanted to finish it before the final episode. This story will eternally live in ignorant bliss of what the finale is! I love you all for reading my random ideas, it's been fun.**

Zeal: (noun) great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a person, cause, or an objective.

They had just landed after finishing a case in New York when Scully got a phone call from her mother. She gave Mulder a signal to wait where he was while she answered it. He stood in the middle of the terminal holding their bags as he watched Scully pace back and forth, listening intently to her mother's words.

He couldn't hear the exchange from this far away, but he could tell Scully was a little stressed out by whatever her mother was saying. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she kept running a hand through her hair, nodding even though her mother couldn't see her. After a few minutes she started walking up to him and he caught the tail end, "I can do it mom, no problem… I love you too..Bye."

"Everything going okay with the Scully matriarch?" He asked as she took her bag from his grasp.

"Yeah. She went on a vacation with her friends, but she's positive she left the doors unlocked. She won't be able to enjoy herself until I drive over there and reassure her." The exhaustion in Scully's voice was evident, but he knew there was no way she wouldn't let her mother suffer through the night.

"Well let's swing by and check it out for her before heading back to D.C." He shrugged and started walking towards the car as Scully immediately tried to ease him of the burden she considered herself to be.

"Mulder, it's totally out of the way. I don't want to drag you out on this errand. You have to be tired-" Her ramblings were interrupted by his raised hand.

"Scully this isn't an inconvenience to me. What else will you do? Drive with me back to D.C, get in your car, backtrack to Annapolis, and then drive all the way home? No way. This is good as long as you can tolerate a few more hours with me," he teased.

"Thank you Mulder." The gratitude weighed heavy in her voice and he was glad he had offered. In all honesty, he would take any opportunity to see Scully's childhood home. He knew she traveled from place to place growing up, but as far as he was aware, Maggie Scully's household still had room that held all the musings of an adolescent and teenage riddled Dana Scully and he _had_ to see it.

He had been to Maggie's house before, though under less than ideal circumstances, so he already knew pretty much how to get there. He didn't realize this would come in handy until he turned to her, expecting a response to the conversation he thought he was having with her, only to be met with snores and closed eyes. He had to say, sleeping-Scully was one of his favorite versions of her. It was like all her stressed vanished and she was finally at peace.

He couldn't help himself and stole a few quick glances to see her. She was slouched further down in the seat than normal with one hand strewn across her lap and the other laying carelessly beside her. Her head was lolled back onto the headrest so he had a good vantage point to see her face. Her hair was gently mussed and her face was devoid of the normal lines of worry that usually plagued her. She must have fallen asleep a few minutes after getting to the car because, by the way her eyelashes were fluttering against her cheeks, she was in a deep sleep. He jumped a little bit when a soft grunt left her slack-jawed lips, but relaxed when she just licked her lips and sank further down in her seat. She would kill him if he ever said it outloud, but she was painfully adorable like this.

Who knew angels wore pantsuits?

After about thirty minutes, and hundreds of glances, they arrived to Annapolis and were greeted with a sudden burst of hail. He didn't think much of it until it got loud enough to rouse Scully from her sleep. With a gentle groan of irritation, she sat up and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "What's going on?" she croaked.

"We're almost to your mom's, did she mention anything about hail?" he asked, trying to navigate the growing downpour.

"No, no. Not that I remember." She had to raise her voice over the sound of the hail against the car as he pulled into the driveway. "Wait here, I'll open the garage so you can pull the car in."

He told her to be careful as she quickly eased out of the car, opening up the door in one grand sweep. He pulled in and she quickly shut the door behind them. He got out of the car and walked to the front to make sure the hail hadn't hurt the car too bad. There was maybe one or two tiny dents, but honestly he felt lucky.

"Let's check the forecast when we get inside," she said over her shoulder as they went through the adjoining door from the garage to the house. It was jarring to him how much this house was reflective of Scully. Anytime he went to his own mom's house, it was bleak, sterile, and hostile. A far cry from his haphazard apartment. Maggie's house, however, was a real home. The pictures on the wall, the worn furniture, everything was reminiscent of a happy family. Hell, it even smelled like Scully.

It was fascinating to him to see her interact with such familiarity. After stepping in from the garage, they were in pitch darkness, but she was able to navigate across the room and flip on the light switch with blind grace. He couldn't help but wonder how many times a teen Scully did this same thing, sneak in through the garage, find her way in the darkness, avoiding her parents or siblings.

He saw her make her way to the doors to check if they were locked or not and he decided to stay where he was, not wanting to tread in her personal space without an invitation. He didn't know if she wanted shoes off or on, so he slipped out of his dress shoes and put them next to other shoes on a mat near the door.

After noticing Scully hadn't taken hers off, and contemplated putting them back on, he shrugged and looked to his side to examined the photos on the wall. He couldn't keep the shiteating grin off his face when he was met with a school photo of Scully in, what he was guessing was, her teens. Everything about this photo was pure gold; braces, a bad perm, and the painful fashion of the early eighties.

"Well, looks like this was all for nothing, she locked all the doors after all. What are you-no!" Her statement quickly turned into a girlish squeal when she saw what he was looking at. Instantly, his gaze on the photo was replaced by a blushing, real, thirtysomething Scully trying to black the image from view.

"That just might be my favorite photo of you Scully," he joked.

She firmly grabbed his shoulders, turned him around, and nudged him down the hallway. "You never saw that photo, wipe it from your memory, forget it," she was embarrassed, but laughter was seeping through her voice. She motioned for him to sit on the couch as she found the remote before joining him, sitting so close he could feel her body heat. After pressing a few buttons, the room was illuminated with the news. "This is Ron Steele, reporting live from Annapolis. Well folks, it looks like the hail isn't letting up anytime soon. We've put out a safety advisory warning people to stay indoors." The screen was then taken over by an extremely red map, showing the surrounding area completely covered in cartoon hail.

With a sigh, they looked at each other and shrugged. "Looks like we're staying here tonight," she murmured, standing up and stretching.

He presumed he would have seen it either how, but these mere five minutes of waiting were torture so he just decided to be blunt. "Can I see your old bedroom?" he blurted. Call it the psychologist in him, but he really wanted to see Scully's roots and the signs of the woman she would end up becoming.

She stopped mid-stretch and regarded him with a cocked, entertained eyebrow. He gave her the best, innocent, puppy dog stare he could, no matter what she said, he knew it was her weakness. It worked and she motioned for him to get up, "Sure, follow me." He didn't need to be asked twice and he practically jumped off the couch in excitement.

He followed her down the hallway, amused as she haphazardly discarded her shoes as she walked before ascending the carpeted stairs with stocking clad feet. Of course, little Scully had the most secluded room in the house. They went down a long hallway, passing by four bedrooms and a bathroom before reaching hers at the very end. The rest had been pretty distinguishable, Charlie's had planes, Melissa's had a tapestry, Bill's had a navy poster, Scully's room however was completely bare. She put one hand on the knob before threatening over her shoulder, "If you mention the contents of this room to anyone, I will shoot you."

He raised his hand in a mock scouts honor as she opened the door. _Oh my god._ Of everything he could have imagined, this was not it. Her room was a gentle light pink color and absolutely covered with music posters. Madonna, Prince, Queen, Depeche Mode, The Eurythmics, it was like Rolling Stone threw up on her walls. His favorite was probably the shirtless photo of Bruce Springsteen on the ceiling above her bed.

Her room was modestly furnished, just with a full bed, a dresser, and a desk with a huge boombox cassette player, with huge stacks of tapes laying around it. He went to it and pressed play, eager to see what cassette was still in it. He turned to Scully with a bemused, shocked expression when Cherry Pie by Warrant softly filled the room. "I don't know what part surprises me more. The fact that you were into hair metal or that young Scully was listening to such suggestive songs."

She rolled her eyes and sat on her old bed, reclining on the palms of her hands. "Something young Scully and I still have in common," she laughed. _Hm, unexpected, but good to know._ He noticed a bunch of postcards lying on her desk, he picked one up and noticed a small message on the back in the curly cursive of a child, 'To Future Dana: Hi! Love, Past Dana.' This may just be the cutest thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

He held up the card to her so she could see, "Hey, Past Dana says hi." He played with the way her name had felt in his mouth while she laughed.

"I used to send myself postcards anytime I went on vacation so I would come home and revisit the trip." Of course she did, that was so Scully. He set it back down and kept exploring her room, as non invasively as he possibly could. Every item he focused on would get an elaborate description, she spared no details. She just laid on her back and watched him with almost as much intensity and care as he was giving the objects.

He was about to lay by her side on the bed when he noticed a yellowed piece of loose leaf spiral paper peeking from under the bed. He bent down and picked it up when a smile instantly broke out on his face. Scully tried to scrutinize the item in his hand, but quickly gave up. "What's that?"

He laid down on his stomach next to her, the sides of their bodies completely flush against each other. Maybe it was the semblance of teenage comfort that made him so bold, but he pointed to the paper in his hand as they ignored the intimacy of this action. Recognition dawned on her face accompanied by a deep red flush. "Oh my god, I haven't seen that in years!" She put her face in her hands in an attempt to contain her embarrassment.

"Let me see if that Art Appreciation course I took in college paid off." Her eyes peeked out from in between her fingers to watch his finger move across the page. "According to the signature, this masterpiece was by a six year old Dana Katherine Scully in the summer months of 1970. The medium appears to be Crayola Marker. The subject of the painting is a woman, presumably the artist in a white gown with shoulder length red hair-Scully has your hair always been around your shoulders?"

"No, as a kid it used to be down to my waist and I would wear it in braids all the time. When I was in second grade, a kid named Tom in my class told me no boys would ever like me without my hair, so I looked him dead in the eye and cut the braids off at my ears. My mom was so upset, but I always liked short hair and it's been that way ever since," she was smiling fondly at the memory and he knew he was too. Dana Scully, sticking it to the man since she was a child. He wished he could have seen it.

"Was that before or after this drawing?" he asked.

"A good while after. I must be psychic," she teased.

He chuckled before returning to his assessment, "So, it appears to be a grown Scully in a white dress, she's holding pink flowers that match the huge smile on her face. She's standing next to a brown haired man, who's significantly taller than her, not that it's a rare accomplishment-" she playfully slapped his arm with a smirk, "He's dressed in a suit with a green tie and holding her hand with a smile that rivals her own, the line for his lips nearly falling past his face. There's a huge arch in the background-" It dawned on him what the image was of, Scully drew a photo of her getting married in the future.

The photo held so much childlike innocent it hurt his heart a little bit. Six year old Scully drew this probably imagining being walked down the aisle by her father, her entire family in attendance. This Scully knew nothing about conspiracies, knew no pain, had no real fears. He all the sudden got overwhelmed with the idea that looking at this might be painful right now, a reminder of what she'd pushed off, the family and the possibility of making one that now felt intangible. All because of him. He decided to try to make light, "Let me guess, Bruce Springsteen?" he asked pointing to the man.

He looked over and was shocked to see her face was filled with comfortable serenity, her lips charmingly curved upward. "No, I just liked drawing what I imagined my future would be like, that was how I always drew my future husband. The pictures always varied, but he was always there by my side, making me happy, doing everything for me, just loving me."

"Did he have a name?" he asked, relishing the honesty she was giving him.

She shook her head, the movement shaking him a little on the bed. "No, I thought that would be bad luck." He couldn't get her to believe half his theories, but here she was believing giving a name to a drawing would jinx her. She always kept him on his toes.

"Do you ever wish the drawings came true? That you weren't having to run around the country chasing killers and ghosts?" he asked, his self conscious nature leaching through his voice.

She considered him with thoughtful eyes. She was staring at him so intently, he could only ever wonder what she was seeing. "Who says they didn't come true?" she asked. He was a little puzzled about her words when she snaked the hand not holding up her head towards his chest, grabbing something in front of him. When he glanced down his heart caught in his throat, she was holding his green tie, the same shade as the one in the photo.

Now that he really looked at it, his outfit was practically a replica of the drawing, down to the eye color and height difference. She didn't have a white dress on, but the hair was spot on. She noticed him connecting the dots as his gaze returned back to hers and she simply mumbled, "Psychic," under her breath while stroking the silky fabric of the tie.

He was moved. How did she always manage to do that? She picked and chose the moments she would reveal her true feelings much like a flower blooming, and it was equally as beautiful. He reached down and grabbed her lithe hand into his own, pressing her palm to his chest, right over his heart.

"The drawings you describe remind me a lot of the dreams I have now," he whispered, almost worried the sound of his voice could break the air of vulnerability between them. She smirked and he made sure she saw his eyes dart back to the drawing between them before adding, "All of them." He could see she was repressing the smile from fully taking over her face, it was almost a straight line except the ends, which she rebelling upward against her will.

"Dreams are the questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask," she responded cheekily, regurgitating his own words to him, but the meaning far more implicit now.

"Questions we haven't figured out how to ask, feelings so strong they intimidate us and only come out in the safety of our mind." A verbal dance of hidden meanings, a dance they did far too often.

"Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them," Scully recited. Of course Scully had the perfect literary reference for every situation, she even made Updike sound romantic.

Taking a chance, he raised her palm from his heart to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to the surface and whispering "I love you, so much," into her soft skin.

The smile she had been fighting broke free and she reversed the position of their hands and brought his palm to her lips, the words were soft to his ears, but he could feel the ghost of her lips move in her own sentiments of love. She mimicked him afterwards by placing a kiss to his palm and resting it over her heart.

Most of his dreams after that focused on how beautiful that drawing would look next to an image of the real thing. After all, she was right, dreams come true.

 **Thank you so much! On one last self-indulgent note, I just wanted to mention to those who didn't already hear from the Words of Lust, Annabeth Gish (Monica Reyes) is coming back to Iowa for a show and she responded to an excited, nerdy tweet of mine and my gay ass is DEAD. My username is Nicoleiosis and you can see it in her Tweets and Mentions. I love her lol. Anyway, some of you may notice that there is another chapter. I wanted to experiment with one last thing. It's a little different, so feel free to skip it, but I wanted to resolve in that way. Let me know how you felt! -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


	27. -Epilogue-

**Author's Note: One last chapter, William's point of view. Spoilers for season eleven, specifically Ghouli.**

He got to spend sixteen years with his parents, the Van De Kamp's that is. They never hid the fact he was adopted from him, but they said they didn't know much about his birth parents; other than they had wanted him, but simply couldn't keep him. His adoptive parents were wonderful, loving, and everything someone would want from a mother and father. They didn't understand why he was different than all the other kids, but they did their best. He missed them everyday.

He had never met his birth mother growing up, but he knew he well. It was a part of what made him different; the visions. For as long as he could remember, if he tried hard enough, he could see her. A woman with red hair and melancholy eyes. The same eyes he saw when he looked in the mirror.

When he did meet them, Scully and Mulder, his mother and father, it was too dangerous to stick around. He had to run around for a while, avoid the dangers that had been keeping them apart since the beginning. But those first meetings were enough to leave an impression. For him, they were an enigma, a curious pair that held answers to his life he wanted more than anything to know. For them, he was the manifestation of years of love, he was the physical embodiment of their bond. The face of the future they had spent so long fighting for.

He didn't know if it was their connection, or if she had powers she didn't know about. Maybe he wanted something so badly he made it up. One night he just had a vision of her, much like what she must've seen when he checked in on her. She didn't say anything, it was only for a moment, but he knew it was time. He didn't know why, but he knew it was safe to find them. He just wanted to get to know her better.

He would never mention it to them, but he found it funny that the most cautious couple he had ever met still left their address listed in the White Pages. He just showed up on their door one day. Mulder answered and looked like a man holding a gun in a china shop, he didn't want to do anything to startle him away. Scully looked like she had been expecting him.

It was awkward at first, how do you talk to someone you know nothing about but share everything with. They bounced back and forth between asking each other questions, nothing too intense, he had heard enough of what he needed to hear at the morgue that fateful night. They were the same type of questions someone would ask on a first date, albeit answered with unabashed honesty. After a while, they asked if he was staying anywhere and he realized he was so eager to come, he hadn't made any preparations. That guest room was assembled in record time.

The first few weeks were spent with shy trepidation until he realized that he was the one who would have to make the first move. They would never invade his personal space, he could tell they felt like they hadn't earned it. He would catch them both staring at him when they thought he wasn't looking; while they were eating, when they would lounge around the living room, while they ran errands, it was always a look of pure fascination. The same type of look someone would give a rose blooming through a crack in the cement, a beautiful miracle, but one you would treat with fragile hands. They enjoyed doing just simple mundane things together, the things they had missed out on for years, things that had just been fantasies. He was sure they thought he was just indulging them, but this meant just as much to him as it did them.

When he did make the first move, it took them by surprise. He and Mulder were sitting at the kitchen table, Mulder reading an online article and sneaking peeks at him over the laptop screen, him reading a comic doing the same. Scully walked in and casually said, "Jackson, I put new sheets on your bed, I hope you don't mind."

There was no reason for his action aside from the fact he wanted to. He got up from his seat, walked over, and pulled her into a warm hug. She was significantly shorter than him, so he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and said, "Thank you for everything you do and have ever done for me." He felt her body initially tense in shock from the embrace before relaxing. At his words, he felt her body shake lightly and wrap her arms tightly around his body. She cried. He didn't know if she cried for lost time, for thankfulness at what was to come, a combination of both, or something completely different. All he knew was that her tears were contagious, his own ran down his face and into her hair, the streaks down Mulder's cheeks attested to this fact. It was impossible not to adore this woman, it made him happy he had her genes.

A lot of the time he spent at the house with them after that was filled with going through albums. Hearing them talk about the past was better than any television show he'd ever seen. The center of the story changed a lot, a lot seemed to involve an Aunt he had named Samantha, when he referred to her as that he saw tears in Mulder's eyes, joy that more than two people in this whole world cared about her passed being an experiment.

There were others that seemed important to the narrative of his life, a bald man named Skinner, for whom they claim to be forever indebted to. A couple of agents who kept the X-Files alive when no one else would, one fought tooth and nail to keep pregnant Scully safe when Mulder was gone, the other sang whale songs to help him sleep at night when he was a baby. They were married now. Some were talked about with unrepentant disdain, a cigarette smoking man with a penchant for playing god. They had gone through so much, and they had the wounds to prove it. No wonder they were inseparable.

That was his favorite part of the time he spent living at their house. You had never seen a couple more in love. He supposed after all the crazy shit they'd been through together, being together was the only time they felt safe, secure, and happy. He was genuinely curious what they were like before meeting each other, he couldn't picture one functioning without the other. How did it feel finding the person that made you whole?

After a few years, he found a woman who did that for him. He tried his best to emulate the way Mulder treated Scully. He himself hadn't been the best with girlfriends in the past, but he was determined to be better. When he asked Mulder for advice, received such thoughtful, thorough answers. Anytime he asked anything 'fatherly' from Mulder, it was treated with the utmost importance. It was amusing to him that Mulder felt inadequate to give an answer to how to have a successful relationship. He simply said everyday he just tried to make sure Scully was comfortable, safe, and happy. Sometimes he felt like he was failing, but Scully put up with him anyhow.

When things started getting serious with his now-wife, he moved out of their house into his own place just ten minutes away. It was bittersweet, but they talked on the phone on a near daily basis. The sense of routine and normalcy in life was jarring to all three of them, but more than welcome. They missed the beginning of his life, but they more than compensated for the rest of it. They attended everything from his wedding to the birth of his twins. He named them Melissa and Samantha. He didn't know if Scully and Mulder would ever run out of tears.

The milestones they missed with him, they got to experience through their grandchildren. People they never thought would exist in their wildest dreams. Mulder played countless games of baseball with them and he blamed Scully for his daughters becoming obsessed with science. He knew from the stories that all they ever wanted was a family, and you'd never see a couple more grateful for what they have.

He spent nearly twenty years without them, but he was so glad he got to spend thirty years with them. Despite the long running joke about immortality that always went over his head, Scully went first. It was peaceful, in her sleep, a blessing and something that would never had been anticipated during her years at the FBI. The next day Mulder went in the same way. That's the way it was meant to be.

People called it a phenomenon, the odds of that happening were one in a million. Those people obviously didn't know them very well. How could Mulder continue when the light of his life was gone, his body gave out without her. He always said he would follow her no matter what.

He and his wife moved into their house, everything had been left to him and the girls in the will. He buried them in the field on their land. Scully had mentioned a company that buried people in a way that allowed their bodies to decompose in a way to nourish trees. It just seemed like the right thing to do. He buried them side by side and planted a tree. Call him sentimental, but he wanted another manifestation of their love to grow past his own life span. As the years went by, the tree grew and flourished, it grew in an obscure way that almost looked like a hand reaching out of the ground. He knew it was Mulder and Scully saying hi.

He spent countless nights sitting on the porch, just like he had seen them do for countless decades. Every night he looked out into the sky and watched the stars, his parents words ringing in his ears, "Who says they aren't souls? Traveling through time as starlight." He didn't know if it was true, but he wanted to believe.

No matter what, he was positive they were together, somewhere, finding the truth they spent their lives seeking. 

**Thank you for spending this time with me. May the finale be good to us all. -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)**


End file.
